Speculative science coming to a head

Valery Spiridonov, a man who has volunteered to be the first person to undergo a head transplant, attends a news conference in Vladimir, Russia, June 25, 2015. - REUTERS

When transplantation is allowed, there must be a very strong justification that this is the only way to save the patient’s life.

IN 2013, Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero wrote a paper in Surgical Neurology International titled “HEAVEN: The head anastomosis venture project outline for the first human head transplantation with spinal linkage (GEMINI)” which essentially outlined a theoretical procedure for a whole human head transplant.