Word for Word: They freeze dead people

[Times art: Brandon Jeffords]

Thinking about signing up for a post-mortem deep freeze like Ted Williams? While a triumphant return to life 500 years from now might sound tempting, consider the many drawbacks: Teddy Ballgame, according to the New York Times, may share freezer space with three other bodies and, possibly, five other heads. Then, imagine how people will treat you after the thaw. You think you're going to get dates if, like Ted, you're pushing 583?

But if you're still determined, the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Ariz., answers many questions about the science of freezing dead people on its Web site, www.alcor.org. Below are excerpts.

-- JOHN BARRY, deputy Floridian editor

Q: What is cryonics?

A: Cryonics is the use of cryogenic (very low) temperatures to preserve recently deceased human beings with hopes they may be revived at some later date.

Q: Can people really be brought back to life after they have been suspended?

A: To date, no human being in cryonic suspension has been revived. However, many biological organisms, such as whole insects, vinegar eels, human embryos and human brain cells have been cryopreserved and successfully revived.

Q: What are the fees associated with becoming an Alcor Life Extension Foundation member?

A: There is a $150.00 sign-up fee, and adults pay $398.00 annual dues. Families pay $199.00 annual dues, and annual dues for persons under age 18 are $100.00. Alcor offers two cryonic suspension options: 1) Neuro-suspension, which is head only, costs $50,000 and full body costs $120,000.00. Most often, suspension fees are paid by term, whole, or universal life insurance policies.

Q: How will people become aware I have donated my remains to Alcor?

A: Alcor provides every member with an ID bracelet and ID necklace. These stainless-steel items have the member identification number and emergency instructions engraved upon them. Members should wear this jewelry at all times in case of medical emergency or death.

Q: How many members are currently signed up with Alcor?

A: Alcor has over 580 active suspension members.

Q: How many people are in cryonic suspension at Alcor?

A: There are currently (as of June, 2002) 49 patients in cryonic suspension.

Q: Does it matter how quickly Alcor gets to me after I die?

A: Absolutely. As soon as you quit breathing and circulation stops, the cells of your body start turning on themselves for energy. This is ultimately destructive. Ischemic damage proceeds (unchecked) in an immuno-inflammatory cascade, destroying valuable brain cells and their synaptic connections, eventually (in the absence of the Alcor Anatomical Donor Recovery Team), beyond repair.

Q: How long does it take before you are beyond recall?

A: We don't know. Because we do not know the physical basis of memory, we also don't know precisely what we need to preserve, or how much is necessary to recall someone. So, the conservative answer is, minimum time at the lowest possible temperature, between pronouncement and cryoprotection.

Q: Can Alcor suspend me prior to my death?

A: No. There is no legal precedent anywhere in the world allowing a cryonic procedure to take place prior to legal death, even in cases of suffering or terminal illness.

Q: At what point in the future will resuscitation of patients suspended today likely become possible?

A: Optimal reversal of today's cryonics methods will likely require a mature cell repair technology. Advanced nanotechnology would be required to manufacture the microscopic devices capable of performing such repairs, and advanced artificial intelligence systems would likely be required to economically direct them. Although the feasibility of such technologies do not seem in question, and a variety of economically pressured pathways leading to their development exist, precisely how quickly development will proceed is difficult to predict. Various experts have estimated anywhere from 20 to 100 years will be needed for the development of cell/tissue repair capabilities.

Q: Is it proper to undertake such radical measures to save people who've already enjoyed long, quality lives, when millions of others still suffer difficult, short ones?

A: This question is rooted on false premises. It is not being suggested that any collective effort or resources be expended to place people into suspension. Cryonics arrangements are made by individuals using their own earnings for purposes of saving their own lives. The well-being of others is not in any way affected. The lives of the underprivileged would not be improved if individuals refrained from making suspension arrangements. Of course, it might always be said that individuals could forgo their suspensions and give their money to the poor instead. Yet the same can be said of virtually any expenditure in our prosperous society, medical or otherwise. Those who would characterize cryonics as a "selfish luxury" might thus be asked what medical treatments or other "luxuries" they have sacrificed for the poor, before suggesting others sacrifice their very lives.

Q: If cryostasis works, will people be immortal?

A: No. Technology cannot render anyone completely indestructible, so not even the technologies described herein can guarantee immortality. What these technologies will do, however, is eliminate once and for all the terrible suffering and loss of life associated with today's medical shortcomings. In particular, molecular-level control over injury, disease, and aging will ultimately limit causes of death to events resulting in destruction of the brain. Though not true immortality, the life-extending potential of such medical technology should not be underestimated. Even with today's accident statistics, the ability to save life in all instances except when bodies are lost or destroyed would result in life expectancies in the order of 100,000 years. Moreover, over the course of such abundant time, there doesn't seem to be any reason why the remaining risks of destruction could not be reduced. For those who desire it, then, immortality very close to that of legend does seem physically possible.

Q: Is Walt Disney frozen?

A: No. After his death in December, 1966, Mr. Disney was cremated. According to our best reports, his ashes reside in the Disney family crypt at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles. Mr. Disney died very soon after the Cryonics Society of California held a press conference to announce its founding. It is believed some people incorrectly assumed the two events were connected.

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