X-Message-Number: 804
From: 
Subject: Regeneration in Humans
Date: Tue,  5 May 92 02:01:53 PDT
>From: Hugh Hixon at 
>Re: Whole Body vs. Neuro Suspension

     Re the occurance of regeneration in "lower" animals, and its 
speculative use for rebuilding bodies for neurosuspension patients, 
complex regeneration does occur in humans, on a limited scale, as follows:

     1) An entire fingertip, including the nail, can be regenerated in humans

     2) This occurs only in children under about ten years of age

     3) It doesn't always occur

     4) It does not occur below the first knuckle

     5) When it does occur, it is because the fingertip has been simply 
cleaned and trimmed of damaged tissue (debrided), rather than have a flap 
of skin sewn over it as is commonly done by physicians for aesthetic and 
infection control reasons.

     For details, find a physician that knows about this -- probably a 
pediatrician.

     As for adaptation, I learned to live in my body as a child, an 
adolescent, an adult, and now as age-related changes are beginning to 
occur.  I can adapt again.  Exuberantly.

     Further, any speculation about this that does not take into account 
that most of the favorable physical and mental attributes found in the 
human species (and probably other species as well) can be transplanted by 
genetic transplantation techniques that are even now being developed is 
both uninformed and unimaginative.

     I've got this shopping list, see ...

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