Head Transplant Experiments

A head transplant is the most audacious experiment in surgical history. In 1954, Soviet surgeon Vladimir Demikhov grafted a puppy's head onto a larger dog—both heads lived for days, drinking milk simultaneously, a 2-head survival rate of 100% at 72 hours. In 1970, Robert White transplanted a monkey's head onto another monkey's body; the monkey survived for eight days, fully conscious, outperforming #5 in duration by a 5-day margin. Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero claimed in 2017 he'd perform the first human head transplant. The science is real, with a 2017 estimated cost of $100 million, but the ethics spark horror-movie debates.