We have just placed into liquid nitrogen the brain of the cat of one of our Members (he may identify himself if he so chooses). The brain had been preserved in a formaldehyde/glutaraldehyde solution prior to this cryopreservation.

Ben Best

Thank you very much. It is my she-cat, who I love very much. Her name is Dina. She unexpectedly died last spring (presumably of stomach cancer) at age of 15. At that time she lived in Switzerland and I was in Canada. The only thing I was able to organize is the chemical fixation of her brain, which (as I understood) was done rather soon after her deanimation.

Mike Soloviev

Dear Ben and others,

I just want to repeat my opinion about cryopreservation of animals (in this case only the brain).

I'm just a member of the CI so I don't decide on the policy of the organization, although I hope the people that decide on these matters will stop to think about my arguments who are rather contra animal preservation.

1) I'm not saying that an animal is a rock as someone accused me of during a previous discussion, but an animal is without any doubt a collection of intentional systems that lack the complex interaction as in humans to come to an understanding of it's own mortality. That makes the mortality of an animal fundamentally different from humans who do have that understanding.

We should not unnecessary make animals suffer, but we should respect the small circle of conscience around it. Thus cryopreserving an animal is a reflection of human desires and fears on a creature that is fundamentaly different. The cat, dog, ... is not aware of it's own mortality, so you're trying to give it a gift it cannot comprehend. I have the same opinion about major surgery on animals to extend it's life.

2) Cryonics was initially the practice of preserving human life to reanimate it with future technology. To be taken serious as an scientific experiment, cryonics organizations should 'clearly define their project', and that is to preserve an reanimate human beings in the future.

Offering to cryopreserve cat brains, etc... gives the impression that anything will be stored in liquid nitrogen as long as dollars are put on the table. The cryopreservation of human beings for future reanimation is without any doubt one of the biggest scientific endeavors and a great experiment that the founders of these organizations should be proud of. But the challenges are enormous and the chances of success small.

So if cryonics organizations want to be taken serious, they should clearly define their goal that is to preserve human life, and not make an odd version of the 'frozen ark of Noah, preserving everything from hamsters to cat brains in the hope that all these different kinds of specimens will maybe one day be reanimated.

I hope some people in the cryonics community will reflect on these arguments. People shouldn't be denied to preserve there pets, but a separate organization for that would be a good thing to my opinion.

David Verbeke
Belgium

I must strongly endorse Verbeke's concerns. The activity reported adds little or nothing to the state of the art of cryonics, distracts us from our primary mission, to preserve and extend human life, and subjects us to justified ridicule which we do not need.

Ronald Havelock

Dear David,

Humans are social beings. This, among other things, means that one's personality (i.e. mind, consciousness, etc.) includes (partially and indirectly) the personalities of other humans as well as pets. In other words my personality is not full without interaction with others -- family members, friends, and pets. So when I want to preserve my pet I want to preserve a part of me.


Moreover, imagine that it the future the human race will be replaced by much more advanced beings -- and it will depends upon them to decide how to handle our frozen bodies. If such being will take your point of view it may decide that we, humans, are not worth (judging, for example, on our morals or brain processing power) to be reanimated.

Also I believe that in the future my pet's brain can be upgraded at least to human level.

In my opinion by preserving pets the cryonics organization improves its image (depicting cryonics as truly humane enterprise) both in the present and in the future (and the latter can even be more important).

Best wishes, Mike

One more argument. "The cat, dog, ... is not aware of it's own mortality." Without references to the corresponded scientific research it is just your opinion, that can be wrong. Animals see dead animals and try to avoid the situations that can lead to their own death. It means they should have some idea of mortality --likely to be different from ours (much less comprehensive and reflective, etc.).

-- Mike