# Could current state-of-the-art medical technology sustain a disembodied head? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803 "2004-10-23T20:37:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/1 "2004-10-23T20:37:47Z")
Using a heart-lung machine and other moden science wizardry, would it be possible to keep a person’s disembodied head alive? Has there been any experiments on this? I know that they can keep a person alive to perform heart surgery, which suggests there is machinery that is capable of keeping a person alive wtihout the need of functional lungs/heart. And if this _were_ possible, how much longer until we could perform transplants? Or radical cybernetic transplants like in the film _Robocop_ (parts of his head and heart were the only organic things left)? ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/2 "2004-10-23T20:57:54Z")
Joel Achenbach asked exactly this question in his book [_Why Things Are_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0345362241/qid=1098565358/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-8923749-2411849?v=glance&s=books&n=507846). Answer: Yes, and he makes reference to this book [_If We Can Keep a Severed Head Alive…_](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0942287029/qid=1098565388/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-8923749-2411849?v=glance&s=books) . ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/3 "2004-10-23T20:59:21Z")
I should add that he bases his answer completely on that book, so the “yes” answer depends on how accurate the book is. Since [Loompanics sells the book too](http://www.loompanics.com/cgi-local/SoftCart.exe/cgi-local/smpagegen.exe?U+scstore+kjrj7584ff318531+-p+-c+scstore.cfg+91076), I’m not sure how reliable it is. But it sounds interesting enough that I’m going to order it. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/4 "2004-10-23T21:05:31Z")
Here’s something more: the book _If We Can Keep a Severed Head Alive…_, by Chet Fleming, is subtitled “Discorporation and U.S. Patent 4,666,425.” I looked up this patent number here, and Mr. Fleming is the one who registered this patent – under the company name of “The Dis Corporation,” amusingly. The patent is quite lengthy and describes what is apparently his own invention (or thoughts on an invention, at least – I’m not sure) for keeping a severed head alive. [Check it out.](http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=4666425.WKU.&OS=PN/4666425&RS=PN/4666425) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/5 "2004-10-23T21:19:17Z")
Well, WAG on my part, but the head really only needs oxygen and nutrients doesn’t it? I don’t see any reason we couldn’t keep the head’s blood supply moving with the same type of machine that they use for heart operations, filter the blood with some sort of dialysis equipment, and since we can feed people IV fairly well, injecting the same stuff they give coma patients into the blood circulation system seems possible. You would have to top off the blood frequently, replacing the platelets that are at the end of their lifespan, but other than having to run constant bloodwork to see that the blood chemistry is correct I wouldn’t see much problems for at least short term [maybe several weeks] ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/6 "2004-10-23T21:32:00Z")
Dude… I want to see that. 🙂 -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![alterego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@alterego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alterego)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/7 "2004-10-23T21:46:23Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Dude… > > I want to see that. > > 🙂 > > -FrL- [schematics](http://patimg1.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=04666425&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526d%3DPALL%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2Fsrchnum.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526s1%3D4666425.WKU.%2526OS%3DPN%2F4666425%2526RS%3DPN%2F4666425&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=4F54393896A4) ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/8 "2004-10-23T21:56:49Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Well, WAG on my part, but the head really only needs oxygen and nutrients doesn’t it? I don’t see any reason we couldn’t keep the head’s blood supply moving with the same type of machine that they use for heart operations, filter the blood with some sort of dialysis equipment, and since we can feed people IV fairly well, injecting the same stuff they give coma patients into the blood circulation system seems possible. You would have to top off the blood frequently, replacing the platelets that are at the end of their lifespan, but other than having to run constant bloodwork to see that the blood chemistry is correct I wouldn’t see much problems for at least short term [maybe several weeks] In the short term it probably would work, short term being a matter of days to weeks. The cost would be enormous. The head wouldn’t have means to communicate, since air has to pass the larnyx for speech. Disconnecting said head from the body without losing function might prove problematic since the brain has only about 4 minutes before cells die without O2 and the hook up would take longer than that. Getting good seals on the arteries and veins might not be possible. Maintaining cerebral spinal fluid would also be difficult, if not impossible. Large quantities of banked blood cause a disorder called diseminated intravascular coagulopathy where in blood leaks into the tissue (stroke, in this case). Adding calcuim ever 4 units slows the process, but eventually, bleeding would happen. Dialysis would remove _soluble_ wastes, but we have nothing to take over the functions of the liver, or speen. All of the hormones, made in other parts of the body, like catacholimines, insulin, thryoid, parathyroid, etc, would have to be added continuously. Maintining blood pressure, while keeping intercrainal pressure down would be difficult. So, maybe for hundreds of thousands of dollars a day, and probably 10 highly trained surgical and critical care professionals 24/7, you could keep a non-comunicating head pink for a week… But…_WHY?_ ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/9 "2004-10-23T22:43:44Z")
Picunurse: Because a real live living disembodied head would _kick ass._ (Metaphorically.) -FrL- (BTW this comment is coming from someone who in the past also has said he would really like to see a live human/ape hybrid as has been rumoured to have happened in the past. Not that I think anyone _should_ do these things… I would just really like to see the result if they did, that’s all… 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/10 "2004-10-23T23:37:22Z")
Why not? Once we learn how to reattach nerves, we could do full head transplants. That would be worth doing: If an organ donor (aka motorcycle rider) leaves a fairly good body and a pulverized skull, we could use it to give a quadruplegic a new lease on life. By the way, why do we always assume heads are always severed _above_ the larynx? Why not sever one _below_, and hook it up to a bellows system? I presume the head would retain the powers of speech in that case. (And no, I don’t think it would only beg to die.) ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/11 "2004-10-23T23:42:21Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > (And no, I don’t think it would only beg to die.) Kill me! \ Kill me! \ Kill me!.. I think the experience of being a head on life support would be somewhat less benign than the head museum on ]I]Futurama\*. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/12 "2004-10-23T23:43:04Z")
Would said head be eligible for a flu shot this year? Not that it’d make much difference, because when you eliminate the body, you eliminate most of the machinery of the immune system. It’d be disappointing to go to all the trouble of keeping the thing alive, only to have it succumb to a head cold. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/13 "2004-10-23T23:55:37Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Why not? Once we learn how to reattach nerves, we could do full head transplants. That would be worth doing: If an organ donor (aka motorcycle rider) leaves a fairly good body and a pulverized skull, we could use it to give a quadruplegic a new lease on life. > > By the way, why do we always assume heads are always severed _above_ the larynx? Why not sever one _below_, and hook it up to a bellows system? I presume the head would retain the powers of speech in that case. > > (And no, I don’t think it would only beg to die.) Oh I forgot to mention, that while on a heart lung machine, it would have to be cooled and chemiclly paralyzed. ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/14 "2004-10-24T00:32:45Z")
Haven’t you guys ever watched _The Brain that Wouldn’t Die_? All you need to keep a severed head alive is a sufficient supply of neck jelly. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/15 "2004-10-24T01:08:05Z")
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1263758.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1263758.stm) ---
**Author:** ![Skeptico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Skeptico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeptico)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/16 "2004-10-24T05:41:26Z")
According to what I’ve read on this very message board last year, they apparently have conducted this experiment on dogs in Russia. They were successful. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![quothz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/da6949/32.png) [@quothz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quothz)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/17 "2004-10-24T06:12:46Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > In the short term it probably would work, short term being a matter of days to weeks. The cost would be enormous. The head wouldn’t have means to communicate, since air has to pass the larnyx for speech. Technology exists to (just barely) meaningfully interpret wave emissions from the brain. So the head couldn’t -talk- but might, if trained (presumably prior to decapitation), be able to express communication that way. If muscular control were maintained, communication could also be expressed via those means (“Blink blink pause blink blink blink blink blink pause blink etc”). (If the appropriate sensory organs and nerves can be maintained, he or she could presumably recieve communication.) (I’m assuming that the whole package includes conscious awareness, rather than some sort of comotose state; obviously, that would make a difference in terms of “why”.) What if, assuming the above, the whole thing were “fed” by the blood flow of a still-alive but brain-dead body? Would that help in terms of hormonal balance and whatnot or would the lack of nervous connection make that moot? Furthur, what if we could hook up just the ol’ medula oblongata, assuming I spelled that correctly, to a brain-dead body? Or is that too speculative? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/18 "2004-10-24T08:59:56Z")
> [@quothz](#): > > Technology exists to (just barely) meaningfully interpret wave emissions from the brain. So the head couldn’t -talk- but might, if trained (presumably prior to decapitation), be able to express communication that way. If muscular control were maintained, communication could also be expressed via those means (“Blink blink pause blink blink blink blink blink pause blink etc”). > > (If the appropriate sensory organs and nerves can be maintained, he or she could presumably recieve communication.) > > (I’m assuming that the whole package includes conscious awareness, rather than some sort of comotose state; obviously, that would make a difference in terms of “why”.) > > What if, assuming the above, the whole thing were “fed” by the blood flow of a still-alive but brain-dead body? Would that help in terms of hormonal balance and whatnot or would the lack of nervous connection make that moot? > > Furthur, what if we could hook up just the ol’ medula oblongata, assuming I spelled that correctly, to a brain-dead body? Or is that too speculative? The connections for cardio-pulmonary by-pass are not made for long term use. They couldn’t be sutured, because the vessels would have to be kept clear for future grafting. This means they are inserted and can’t be moved. therefore the “patient” can’t move thus as I said eariler, chemical paralysis would be used. The procedures described are painful, so strong pain meds would be needed. Extreme pain is so stressful that healing can be impaired. Your suggestion of using another person as a “host,” ethics aside, would require anti-rejection drugs that would have the added risk from massive infection. Also brain dead individuals will start shutting down organs, even on life support in a matter of hours. Some of the failing functions can be supported, but eventually the heart will fail. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/19 "2004-10-24T09:29:10Z")
Why would chemical paralysis be necessary? There’s not a lot of movement in a head, aside from the lips and eyebrows. It’s not like the head’s gonna get up and walk away. Ok, so many of the immune functions & whatnot will get cut away with the body. How about excising all of the necessary organs (thyroid, adrenal glands, maybe even a kidney) and tying them up in a sack with the blood flow routed through them? (I seem to remember a D&D creature that looked a lot like this…) ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-current-state-of-the-art-medical-technology-sustain-a-disembodied-head/270803/20 "2004-10-24T12:00:40Z")
Now you’re just getting silly.