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Surgeon Says Face Transplants a Reality

Posted by michael on from the slice-and-dice dept.

Aspherical Cow writes "A New York Times Magazine article about how a London surgeon is planning on performing an experimental full-face transplant. The face would be harvested like any other donor organ and used on a disfigured person. Lots of issues of identity come up with something like this, but they say that this won't turn Nicholas Cage into John Travolta."

6 of 248 comments (clear)

  1. it's not the face .... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    ... transplants that are going to make a lot of money.

    It's the scalp transplants that will make bazillions. Just think, you can get a whole new type of hair or just have your scalp cloned and slice out the male pattern baldness.

    I would pay for that.

  2. consequences by awing0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A lot of study has been put into what beauty really is. If you look at it from an evolutionary point of view, it's to show us which mates would best carry our genes.

    When you change someone's face, you can't help but wonder if you're throwing a wrench into a system thats evolved over so many thousands of years. This argument would apply not only to this, but plastic surgery and what not.

    It seams every day, medical technology is weakening the race more and more by causing people to depend on a large infrastructure to survive. At what point do you draw the line between leaving people out in the cold for the greater good or helping them?

    --
    Cthulhu Saves.
  3. Reflections in the mirror by lateralus · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I wonder how the human brain and psyche deals with seeing a different face in the mirror after years of strengthening a connection between the natural face and the "I".

    --
    If you outlaw the law, only criminals will have laws
    1. Re:Reflections in the mirror by FTL · · Score: 4, Interesting
      > I wonder how the human brain and psyche deals with seeing a different face in the mirror after years of strengthening a connection between the natural face and the "I".

      Been there. Twice.

      All I did was cut and comb my hair a different way, a style which my friend happened to have. When I looked in the mirror my brain did an automatic pattern match and confidently returned my friend's name instead of my name. A very disturbing experience.

      Recently I've grown a beard. It's been three months, and I still don't recognize myself in the mirror. At least the match comes up as 'unknown' as opposed to someone I know.

      So to answer your question: if your new face belonged to someone you knew, it will be far weirder than if it is a random face that you hadn't seen before. In the end, of course, the human brain will adapt.

      --
      Slashdot monitor for your Mozilla sidebar or Active Desktop.
  4. Re:More info. by jamesh · · Score: 3, Interesting

    That's a tricky one... if the other car wasn't there at that exact time, he might have made it home without incident.

    Has this ever happened to you? (you = whoever is reading this)

    If so, you're _exactly_ the same as Reggie, you were just lucky enough not to hit anyone.

    If you're going to put this guy in the gas chamber, make sure you throw in every other asshole who has ever jumped in a car with their blood full of alcohol.

  5. Re:More info. by PastorOfMuppets · · Score: 3, Interesting
    "To kill a person just because he killed someone, or destroied someone's life, is revenge, not justice."

    And how is locking someone in a cage for the rest of their life not revenge?

    --
    If you don't have anything nice to say, shut up you stupid prick.