Greek

Hope for life

To be born is not a crime. That’s why we don’t deserve the punishment of death. Welcome to the world of cryogenics, the process of freezing the dead with the hope of restoring them to life again with the aid of future technology. The objective of cryogenics is to extend our lifespan, as long as possible, because life is beautiful and it is much better to be alive than to be dead!

The two aspects of the issue

Contemporary scientists of cryogenics attempt to restore a dead body to life by reducing its temperature to -196 ^oC (and keeping it in this condition), in the laboratory. However, enormous, sharp crystals of ice develop in our body just like ice develops on our windows in winter. Long fingers of ice get hold of our cells and organs and literally tear them apart. Especially, the cells of mammals at such temperatures function neither properly nor correctly. Without the presence of protection against cold, the cells of mammals would perish at very low temperatures. Water quickly leaves the cell and becomes one with the ice formed outside the cell. The cell shrinks to such an extent that its membrane weakens entirely. Finally the unprotected, shrunk cell is pierced by the ice and is irreparably damaged. When a cell breaks, its content flows out and when its membrane is torn and damaged, there is no way of restoring it again. Cryogenic scientists, though, believe that their colleagues in the future will be able to restore all damage caused to cells by low temperatures. On the other hand, we have the cryobiologists who want to use very low temperatures in contemporary medicine and who are not really interested in freezing the dead. They believe that the damage inflicted on the cells by cold is irreparable and that cryogenic scientists do not realize this fact. They even go on to say How can we ever hope of freezing a whole human body, when we cannot even freeze one human organ?

The history of Cryogenic Science

The science of Cryogenics began in theory in 1877 when scientists discovered that small amounts of oxygen could be liquified at a temperature of -183 ^oC.

Stages of Cryogenics

1888: Discovery of a glass jar with double walls and air space.

1895: The liquidation and separation of the atmospheric oxygen from its properties. The use of liquid oxygen in 1926 for the propellation of a rocket was the final answer for the use of cryogenics in space programs, and the use of V-2 in World War 2 by Germany.

1908: Liquefying the helium. In 1947the successful production of liquefied helium at a temperature of 4.2 K had hopeful results at an economic level. In 1960the cryogenic machine reached a point of using this method at a temperature of 1/1.000.000 K.

1911: The discovery of overconductivity.

1920–1930: The efforts and techniques of scientists were focused on approaching the lowest temperatures aiming at reaching the absolute zero.

Crypts and defrosting units

There are 3 cryogenic units in the world today. The first is in Oplans,California, the second in Detroit, Michiganand the third in Acorn, Arizona. A total of 70frozen bodies of pioneers exist and 700 candidateshave applied to be frozen when they die. Two kinds of freezers and storage units exist: a whole body reservoir and a crypt designed to store heads only.

-320 Fahrenheit. The bodies are placed in this way so that if they start to defrost, the brain will be the last part to do so. The whole body reservoirs have enough space for 4 capsules.

Crypts for heads only: Some patients have decided that only their head be frozen. The reason remains a mystery. These patients are called neuron patients. In every vessel made of aluminum there is one head wrapped in a pillowcase and synthetic wool. The large crypts can hold up to 5 heads supported on a central bar.

Scientists involved in the field of cryogenics are continuously experimenting, aiming at breaking through the restrictions of medical science. One of these experiments, which seemed to have positive results, was the freezing of a hamster.

The hamster is covered in ice until it freezes and its heart stops beating thus it is labeled clinically dead. It is then placed into a cold bathtub where the temperature reaches -10 ^oC. At first, about 20 minutes later, the hamster shows signs of freezing. First his hind and front legs becomeas hard as stone. Then the greatest part of its head and its brain freezes. After this the animal is defrosted and is connected to a breathing apparatus. After a few minutes its heart starts beating again and the hamster is restored to life. Unfortunately it can survive for 2 hours. The damage caused to the cells by low temperature is irreparable.

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