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An Alternative Medicine

The alternative to irreversible death receives little attention because it is unusual compared to standard practice. But in utilizing this alternative, the body in its entirety can be preserved, so that in the future advanced medical technology could revive the patient.

There are various modern medical procedures based on this idea and they are collectively known as cryonics; a word coined from the Greek word "cryos", meaning "cold". The basic idea was first widely publicized by Professor Robert Ettinger in his 1964 book, The Prospect of Immortality. Cryonics medical procedures are applied as soon as possible after the time that legal death has been officially declared. This initially involves cooling a person who has been declared dead and replacing their blood and bodily fluids with a preservative cryoprotective chemical solution. The patient is then stored and maintained at cryoprotective temperatures, typically through immersion in liquid nitrogen (-196°C). More recent developments in cryonics procedures employ vitrification methods which, though also using low temperatures, avoid much of the damage caused through freezing. In a vitrified state, tissues are converted into glass-like solids. Using this method, ice-crystals do not form in the water of the body and consequently, damage to the cellular structure of the tissues and organs is greatly reduced. Storage temperatures for this form of preservation may be somewhat higher, around -130°C.

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