Zombie Dogs

Joined
Feb 5, 2001
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808
The following story has some rather interesting implications.





http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,15739502-13762,00.html





US scientists have succeeded in reviving the dogs after three hours of clinical death, paving the way for trials on humans within years.
Pittsburgh's Safar Centre for Resuscitation Research has developed a technique in which subject's veins are drained of blood and filled with an ice-cold salt solution.
The animals are considered scientifically dead, as they stop breathing and have no heartbeat or brain activity.
But three hours later, their blood is replaced and the zombie dogs are brought back to life with an electric shock.
Plans to test the technique on humans should be realised within a year, according to the Safar Centre.
However rather than sending people to sleep for years, then bringing them back to life to benefit from medical advances, the boffins would be happy to keep people in this state for just a few hours,
But even a this should be enough to save lives such as battlefield casualties and victims of stabbings or gunshot wounds, who have suffered huge blood loss.
Duing the procedure blood is replaced with saline solution at a few degrees above zero. The dogs' body temperature drops to only 7C, compared with the usual 37C, inducing a state of hypothermia before death.
Although the animals are clinically dead, their tissues and organs are perfectly preserved.
Damaged blood vessels and tissues can then be repaired via surgery. The dogs are brought back to life by returning the blood to their bodies,giving them 100 per cent oxygen and applying electric shocks to restart their hearts.
Tests show they are perfectly normal, with no brain damage.
"The results are stunning. I think in 10 years we will be able to prevent death in a certain segment of those using this technology," said one US battlefield doctor.
 
I'm surprised the animal rights activisits aren't jumping in on this one. But, then again, they are bringing them back to life. :confused:


This could mean a new trend starts...

As on Minority Report: "I want to kill my boss..." can now be a reality with no real implications, other than you might, I mean will get fired. :D Could you be brought up on charges if you "kill" someone but you knew that they could be brought back to life? Your honor, I really didn't mean to kill him, I just meant to "kill" him.

What kind of legal implications as well as moral, religious, social, etc. implications would this include?
 
Scary. We are really intruding on some very unpleasant cautionary tales from science fiction here. Like the one where soldiers killed in battle are resurrected and sent back to fight again. After a certain number of resurrections, they get to choose to stay dead the next time ... Catch 22 with a vengeance.

Where are they going to get human test subjects ... flatliners? It's hard enough to determine the degree of brain damage in people at the edge of death. Dogs aren't an unambiguous test.

I know, there will be reasonable controls, the payoff is significant ... I'm still freaked out by it. :(
 
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