TED-Ed: Can you transplant a head to another body? | Max G. Levy

The transcript discusses Dr. Robert White's controversial experiments on body transplants, focusing on his attempts to connect a monkey's head to another's body. Despite technical challenges like paralysis and brain oxygenation, White developed a brain cooling technique that revolutionized neurosurgery. His work raised significant ethical concerns, particularly regarding animal testing and the implications of such surgeries on humans. Although White never achieved a human head transplant, his experiments sparked ongoing debates about the mind-body connection and the ethical limits of medical science.

What was the ultimate goal of White's experiment involving monkeys?

• To study monkey behavior

• To create a new species of monkeys

• To perform a body transplant on humans

• To improve monkey intelligence

What was one of the major technical hurdles faced by White's surgery?

• Inability to reconnect a severed spinal cord

• Insufficient funding

• Unavailability of test subjects

• Lack of surgical tools

How did White address the issue of brain oxygen supply during surgery?

• By increasing blood pressure

• By using artificial blood

• By using a new type of anesthesia

• By developing a brain cooling technique

What ethical concern was raised about White's experiments?

• The lack of scientific interest

• The cruelty towards animals used in experiments

• The potential for creating new diseases

• The high cost of the experiments

What was the outcome of the monkey body transplant experiment?

• The monkey did not survive the surgery

• The monkey lived a normal life

• The monkey was paralyzed but conscious

• The monkey gained superhuman abilities

What philosophical question does the surgery raise?

• Is it possible to live without a brain?

• Can the body function without a heart?

• Can animals understand human language?

• Is consciousness solely located in the brain?

What is a potential future concern if human head transplants become possible?

• The cost of the procedure

• The availability of donor bodies

• The identity of the person who emerges

• The need for new surgical tools