Chapter 9 has to be my favorite chapter in this book. What I found so interesting was, the scientists trying to keep the heads alive after they were decapitated via guillotine and when Vladimir Demikhov transplanted the puppy heads and other body parts onto fully grown dogs. I found these two things so interesting because on TV and in movies you see talking heads and heads without bodies and these people attempted to make that a reality. Biology concepts that were discussed in this chapter are: not being able to speak due to disabling of larynx, irreversible brain death sets in after six to ten minutes, anastomosis, and "immunological privilege". Like I said before, this chapter is my favorite and I think it's great that one day we might be able to extend lives with a head transplant.
I agree with you. this chapter was very surprising and eye-opening for me. I had never known that experiments involving transplanting animal heads were ever preformed, and I was shocked to know that it would be possible someday to preform head transplants.
I 110% agree with you Kandis. This chapter has to be my favorite. Like how Vladimor Demikhov transplanted the dogs heads that was really interesting because I know they do cloning but I didn't think that they would stitch a dogs head with another dogs body. And the fact that in the future their can be head transplant is quite interesting. I wonder how they will disconnect the brain without feeling the pain?
I kind of disagree with you. I see your point in finding it interesting because I kind of did but at the same time I found it pretty gruesome. I think it is disgusting and cruel to try to revive a head (or person really) after they chopped it off. it might be 'needed' in science but I don't think that is the way to find things out.
I agree with you Nicole I disliked when Charles Guthrie had "created the worlds first two-headed dog." I couldn't even imagine how the dog felt to have to strain with another dog's head striving off of his blood. And how the other dog felt being grafted onto another dogs neck upside down what a way to live the last few hours of your life. And especially to know that you could have lived longer. And isolated brain preparations I think was just a waste of time even if the brain is still alive how did Robert White even know if the brain is still conscious or if it has feelings. How did White even know if the brain had any idea of where it was located does the conscious brain even try to share information with brain located in the abdomen or neck?
I agree with you that it was interesting, but i found it nasty and sad when the chopped off the dogs heads and made a two headed dog, it seams like animal cruelty even if it is the name of science.
I agree that this chapter is interesting. To know that there were people that created a two headed dog that was amazing. I only thought that it was a mythological creature. Also the way that people wanted to bring life into a head after it has been removed from a body was fascinating. Though, it is disturbing to know that there might be future head transplants. Kinda gross..
I agree that this chapter is interesting. The fact that people tried to keep heads alive after decapitation amazed me. I thought that a head was useless once someone had died.
This was honestly one of the coolest chapters in this book. I knew that there were odd experiments but never had I learned that there had been past experiments of head transplants. I did know about the two headed rotweiler which was pretty amazing because it was a successful experiment. But like Jazmin said, it would be pretty weird and disturbing to know that my head could be on someone else's one day!
i also found this chapter extremely interesting yet i do have to agree with some people on the fact that this would be very disturbing. to know that after someones head is off their body it can still respond to some things just in different ways is quite odd.. but i did still even with finding all of that information out it was still very interesting to learn these things.
While I found the chapter interesting I was also horrified to know about what they did with the animals. It was still cool however and interesting to know about the different kinds of experiments they performed.
Jazmin I dont get how they wanted to do head transplants but they considered that the spirit lived within the head of a person so they would be doing a head and spirit transplant.
I agree with you because I found this to be one of the more fascinating chapters of the book. It was super interesting to read how many people tried to revive the decapitated heads.
I know I said chapter 6 is my favorite chapter well I lied. Chapter 9 will always be my favorite chapter (not just because it is my favorite number)but the fact they were trying to keep the heads of a living species alive after they are disconnected from their own bodies. The fact that they are trying to keep the heads alive is really fascinating. The biology concept that was used in this chapter is "immunological privilege." This is my favorite chapter but the fact of head transplant creeps me out a little bit. Because in my opinion I would like to die with my head. But if there is head transplant in the future that's great. People can get a new brain and new face structure. But in my personal opinion the fact of head transplant just sends a shiver down my spine.
I agree that trying to keep the heads of once living beings was incredibly interesting because imagine the possibilities should a scientist succeed in such an endeavor one day. Humans wouldn't need to worry about death or the failure of organs and would only need to protect their heads (and live off whatever miraculous machine that scientist of the future may, or may not, come up with). Head transplants certainly are creepy, but they could be life saving to individuals (that is, if the head transplant was ever truly perfected).
Well you can never tell which chapter is your favorite until you've finished the book! haha. Decapitation has always been a sort of interest of mine because I have quite the curiosity to experience beheaded-ness, even If there is a very large chance that I may not make it out alive. (Of course I'm not going to cut my head off, but it would be cool if it ever happened by accident) Head transplants are pretty creepy, I can agree with that, but I could also agree that the leap that would do in modern medical science is by far the largest so far. I would also feel bad for the patient, Imagine waking up one morning with a completely new body? (Amusing enough, having a Hispanic head on an English body gives me the chuckles.) Must be skin crawling for both the patient and the doctor, if it ever happens of course.
have to completely agree with this post! this post says everything i would say. as fascinating as it all sounds i would like to keep my head after i die. i do think that the thought of someone wanting to experiment with this is very interesting though.
While a head transplant does send shivers down my spine too I still think it's a cool thing, especially if science ever does advance as far as to be able to successfully do such a surgery. I don't know if I'd ever partake in such a surgery though. But it's still interesting to know that the brain doesn't necessarily need the rest of the body to function.
I agree that this was also one of my favorite chapters in the book, mainly because the topic was so interesting. I'm not entirely sure i would want to see a decapitated head working again.
I found this chapter extremely interesting, mostly because it spoke about the most unique human part that everyone shares in such a different design. The head! Anyways, I found it amusing to learn about the different places that different cultures believed where the 'soul' rested(especially the liver, I never would have expected that one!. Though, I do believe that what really makes us so different is our brain. The brain is what makes you, you! It holds all of our memories, thoughts, experiences, and beliefs in one small compartment that is a small mound of flesh. It is brilliant how just a gathering of tissues can create such a reality, the functioning of life itself- the fact that I can even see what I'm typing! The way it controls my breathing, how my stomach digests the small cake I ate earlier, we can do anything thanks to our brain. However, the way we do these things is not just because of the brain- of course I'm speaking the obvious when I say we need everything we have. Even if I so much as loose a toe, I'll never walk the same way again! So, in my head, this brain believes that the soul is latched to everything; And I mean everything, even the small flecks of dead skin that fall of chapped lips. The brain is just our memory chip and the heart is the engine, the 'soul' is our focus. DNA could be design patterns. And just in general, without each other life would be a little more difficult than with each other.
I agree completely that the brain is the most amazing part of the brain. It helps us do everything. Without our brain we would be lying in bed doing nothing because we wouldn't know how to do anything, or how to move. This chapter was probably one of my favorites because of the fact that they talked about the head so much!
Chapter 9 was very cool! I loved reading about the experiments scientists did to be able to prove that the brain does have personality. The term here is obviously decapitation and it is used in anatomy because our experiments, like the one on an eye, would be a decapitated part of a cow. What freaked me out was the experiment when the scientist shouted out the persons name and the persons eyes actually opened up. Plus it happened for a second time! Then the body became glossy. It's just weird to think that we can see think and react even when we are dead.
I agree with you. This chapter is slightly different to the rest. The most interesting part, which I was not expecting was that cadavers were used to make new discoveries about religion. I also thought Barbet’s theory was unexpected. Overall I found this chapter to be surprisingly interesting.
Chapter 9 was such a good read, and I enjoyed it very much. My absolute favorite part of the chapter was the description of the experiment by Beaurieux on the soon-to-be-executed prisoner, Languille. I was so horrified and intrigued by the fact that Languille made physical responses to the French physician's calls. I can only imagine how horrified the experimenter himself was, because I was freak out if I found out that prisoners being executed were still conscious in some form after their beheading. Within this chapter, the brain was a huge biological concept often referred back to. That and it's reactions to electrical currents, how long it can last with oxygen and whether oxygen infused blood can revive a body-less head, and whether brain transplants can occur. The experiments involved in this research felt like something out of a horror movie, especially Guthrie's experiments on dogs; I felt pity for the subjects involved and the pain they had to endure. I felt this piece of text was the only part of the book that made me feel upset. I found the stories and experiments fascinating, but I couldn't even begin to comprehend the amount of pain and suffering felt by the subjects of these experiments (as in, the subjects that were alive during experimentation which were mostly animals).
This chapter both horrified and intrigued me too. Sometimes I even had to stop reading for a bit before continuing. However I found it interesting that the brain might still be conscience after being beheaded, even if for only a little bit.
this chapter was probably the most gruesome to me because of all of the talk about brains still having a personality after being removed from the body is quite disguising in my opinion. although it was very interesting that someone would want to do an experiment on this. i still found it very odd and this chapter did keep me very entertained but it also made me feel a bit sick.. so as much as it was interesting to read it also made me want to put the book down for a while.
I completely agree with your view on this chapter! At times I felt that I had to stop reading a bit because of how gruesome some of the experiments were. However it was interesting to read also.
This chapter was so cool , Vlad Demikhov transplanted the puppy heads and other body parts onto fully grown dogs. Its so amazing that brains may still have personalities after being removed from the body is absolutely amazing .
May I add that I also found it attention grabbing is Robert White’s experiment. The experiment was called “Cephalic Exchange Transplantation in the Monkey”. White basically decapitated a monkey and connected it to the base of the neck on another monkey’s body. Sadly, they lived nowhere from six hours to three days.
Chapter 9 has to be my favorite chapter in this book. What I found so interesting was, the scientists trying to keep the heads alive after they were decapitated via guillotine and when Vladimir Demikhov transplanted the puppy heads and other body parts onto fully grown dogs. I found these two things so interesting because on TV and in movies you see talking heads and heads without bodies and these people attempted to make that a reality.
ReplyDeleteBiology concepts that were discussed in this chapter are: not being able to speak due to disabling of larynx, irreversible brain death sets in after six to ten minutes, anastomosis, and "immunological privilege".
Like I said before, this chapter is my favorite and I think it's great that one day we might be able to extend lives with a head transplant.
I agree with you. this chapter was very surprising and eye-opening for me. I had never known that experiments involving transplanting animal heads were ever preformed, and I was shocked to know that it would be possible someday to preform head transplants.
DeleteI 110% agree with you Kandis. This chapter has to be my favorite. Like how Vladimor Demikhov transplanted the dogs heads that was really interesting because I know they do cloning but I didn't think that they would stitch a dogs head with another dogs body. And the fact that in the future their can be head transplant is quite interesting. I wonder how they will disconnect the brain without feeling the pain?
DeleteI kind of disagree with you. I see your point in finding it interesting because I kind of did but at the same time I found it pretty gruesome. I think it is disgusting and cruel to try to revive a head (or person really) after they chopped it off. it might be 'needed' in science but I don't think that is the way to find things out.
DeleteI agree with you Nicole I disliked when Charles Guthrie had "created the worlds first two-headed dog." I couldn't even imagine how the dog felt to have to strain with another dog's head striving off of his blood. And how the other dog felt being grafted onto another dogs neck upside down what a way to live the last few hours of your life. And especially to know that you could have lived longer. And isolated brain preparations I think was just a waste of time even if the brain is still alive how did Robert White even know if the brain is still conscious or if it has feelings. How did White even know if the brain had any idea of where it was located does the conscious brain even try to share information with brain located in the abdomen or neck?
DeleteI agree with you that it was interesting, but i found it nasty and sad when the chopped off the dogs heads and made a two headed dog, it seams like animal cruelty even if it is the name of science.
DeleteI agree that this chapter is interesting. To know that there were people that created a two headed dog that was amazing. I only thought that it was a mythological creature. Also the way that people wanted to bring life into a head after it has been removed from a body was fascinating. Though, it is disturbing to know that there might be future head transplants. Kinda gross..
DeleteI agree that this chapter is interesting. The fact that people tried to keep heads alive after decapitation amazed me. I thought that a head was useless once someone had died.
DeleteThis was honestly one of the coolest chapters in this book. I knew that there were odd experiments but never had I learned that there had been past experiments of head transplants. I did know about the two headed rotweiler which was pretty amazing because it was a successful experiment. But like Jazmin said, it would be pretty weird and disturbing to know that my head could be on someone else's one day!
DeleteI agree. This chapter for me was very interesting. I would have never thought that it would be possible to successfully do a head transplant.
Deletei also found this chapter extremely interesting yet i do have to agree with some people on the fact that this would be very disturbing. to know that after someones head is off their body it can still respond to some things just in different ways is quite odd.. but i did still even with finding all of that information out it was still very interesting to learn these things.
DeleteWhile I found the chapter interesting I was also horrified to know about what they did with the animals. It was still cool however and interesting to know about the different kinds of experiments they performed.
DeleteJazmin I dont get how they wanted to do head transplants but they considered that the spirit lived within the head of a person so they would be doing a head and spirit transplant.
DeleteI agree with you because I found this to be one of the more fascinating chapters of the book. It was super interesting to read how many people tried to revive the decapitated heads.
DeleteI know I said chapter 6 is my favorite chapter well I lied. Chapter 9 will always be my favorite chapter (not just because it is my favorite number)but the fact they were trying to keep the heads of a living species alive after they are disconnected from their own bodies. The fact that they are trying to keep the heads alive is really fascinating. The biology concept that was used in this chapter is "immunological privilege." This is my favorite chapter but the fact of head transplant creeps me out a little bit. Because in my opinion I would like to die with my head. But if there is head transplant in the future that's great. People can get a new brain and new face structure. But in my personal opinion the fact of head transplant just sends a shiver down my spine.
ReplyDeleteI agree that trying to keep the heads of once living beings was incredibly interesting because imagine the possibilities should a scientist succeed in such an endeavor one day. Humans wouldn't need to worry about death or the failure of organs and would only need to protect their heads (and live off whatever miraculous machine that scientist of the future may, or may not, come up with). Head transplants certainly are creepy, but they could be life saving to individuals (that is, if the head transplant was ever truly perfected).
DeleteWell you can never tell which chapter is your favorite until you've finished the book! haha. Decapitation has always been a sort of interest of mine because I have quite the curiosity to experience beheaded-ness, even If there is a very large chance that I may not make it out alive. (Of course I'm not going to cut my head off, but it would be cool if it ever happened by accident) Head transplants are pretty creepy, I can agree with that, but I could also agree that the leap that would do in modern medical science is by far the largest so far. I would also feel bad for the patient, Imagine waking up one morning with a completely new body? (Amusing enough, having a Hispanic head on an English body gives me the chuckles.) Must be skin crawling for both the patient and the doctor, if it ever happens of course.
Deletehave to completely agree with this post! this post says everything i would say. as fascinating as it all sounds i would like to keep my head after i die. i do think that the thought of someone wanting to experiment with this is very interesting though.
DeleteWhile a head transplant does send shivers down my spine too I still think it's a cool thing, especially if science ever does advance as far as to be able to successfully do such a surgery. I don't know if I'd ever partake in such a surgery though. But it's still interesting to know that the brain doesn't necessarily need the rest of the body to function.
DeleteI agree that this was also one of my favorite chapters in the book, mainly because the topic was so interesting. I'm not entirely sure i would want to see a decapitated head working again.
DeleteI found this chapter extremely interesting, mostly because it spoke about the most unique human part that everyone shares in such a different design. The head!
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I found it amusing to learn about the different places that different cultures believed where the 'soul' rested(especially the liver, I never would have expected that one!. Though, I do believe that what really makes us so different is our brain. The brain is what makes you, you! It holds all of our memories, thoughts, experiences, and beliefs in one small compartment that is a small mound of flesh. It is brilliant how just a gathering of tissues can create such a reality, the functioning of life itself- the fact that I can even see what I'm typing! The way it controls my breathing, how my stomach digests the small cake I ate earlier, we can do anything thanks to our brain.
However, the way we do these things is not just because of the brain- of course I'm speaking the obvious when I say we need everything we have. Even if I so much as loose a toe, I'll never walk the same way again! So, in my head, this brain believes that the soul is latched to everything; And I mean everything, even the small flecks of dead skin that fall of chapped lips. The brain is just our memory chip and the heart is the engine, the 'soul' is our focus. DNA could be design patterns. And just in general, without each other life would be a little more difficult than with each other.
I agree completely that the brain is the most amazing part of the brain. It helps us do everything. Without our brain we would be lying in bed doing nothing because we wouldn't know how to do anything, or how to move. This chapter was probably one of my favorites because of the fact that they talked about the head so much!
DeleteI agree with you on how the brain is the most amazing part of the body. Its crazy to think that all of our memories and our "soul" is there.
DeleteChapter 9 was very cool! I loved reading about the experiments scientists did to be able to prove that the brain does have personality. The term here is obviously decapitation and it is used in anatomy because our experiments, like the one on an eye, would be a decapitated part of a cow. What freaked me out was the experiment when the scientist shouted out the persons name and the persons eyes actually opened up. Plus it happened for a second time! Then the body became glossy. It's just weird to think that we can see think and react even when we are dead.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. This chapter is slightly different to the rest. The most interesting part, which I was not expecting was that cadavers were used to make new discoveries about religion. I also thought Barbet’s theory was unexpected. Overall I found this chapter to be surprisingly interesting.
ReplyDeleteChapter 9 was such a good read, and I enjoyed it very much. My absolute favorite part of the chapter was the description of the experiment by Beaurieux on the soon-to-be-executed prisoner, Languille. I was so horrified and intrigued by the fact that Languille made physical responses to the French physician's calls. I can only imagine how horrified the experimenter himself was, because I was freak out if I found out that prisoners being executed were still conscious in some form after their beheading. Within this chapter, the brain was a huge biological concept often referred back to. That and it's reactions to electrical currents, how long it can last with oxygen and whether oxygen infused blood can revive a body-less head, and whether brain transplants can occur. The experiments involved in this research felt like something out of a horror movie, especially Guthrie's experiments on dogs; I felt pity for the subjects involved and the pain they had to endure. I felt this piece of text was the only part of the book that made me feel upset. I found the stories and experiments fascinating, but I couldn't even begin to comprehend the amount of pain and suffering felt by the subjects of these experiments (as in, the subjects that were alive during experimentation which were mostly animals).
ReplyDeleteThis chapter both horrified and intrigued me too. Sometimes I even had to stop reading for a bit before continuing. However I found it interesting that the brain might still be conscience after being beheaded, even if for only a little bit.
Deletethis chapter was probably the most gruesome to me because of all of the talk about brains still having a personality after being removed from the body is quite disguising in my opinion. although it was very interesting that someone would want to do an experiment on this. i still found it very odd and this chapter did keep me very entertained but it also made me feel a bit sick.. so as much as it was interesting to read it also made me want to put the book down for a while.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your view on this chapter! At times I felt that I had to stop reading a bit because of how gruesome some of the experiments were. However it was interesting to read also.
DeleteThis chapter was so cool , Vlad Demikhov transplanted the puppy heads and other body parts onto fully grown dogs. Its so amazing that brains may still have personalities after being removed from the body is absolutely amazing .
ReplyDeleteMay I add that I also found it attention grabbing is Robert White’s experiment. The experiment was called “Cephalic Exchange Transplantation in the Monkey”. White basically decapitated a monkey and connected it to the base of the neck on another monkey’s body. Sadly, they lived nowhere from six hours to three days.
Delete