Posted on 12/05/2005 7:26:49 AM PST by Grig
New questions were raised yesterday over France's pioneering face transplant operation when a leading medical ethics professor said the surgery had been conducted with undue haste, as it emerged that both the donor and the recipient of the skin graft had attempted suicide. The medical team that carried out the 15-hour operation eight days ago was accused of ignoring ethical questions in the bid to be first, and of using a rival doctor's technique. The saga took a further twist when it became clear that the donor and the 38-year-old transplant patient had been involved in suicide attempts.
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
Getting a face transplant from Cindy Sheehan.
Note: next time get a cat.
A liver transplant from Ted Kennedy.
Doesn't seem like a problem unless the donor attempted suicide by repeatedly whacking his face against a wall.
Colon transplant from Barney Frank.
How about a penis graft from john bobbit?
Last night, on the other thread, they were denying that the recipient had attempted suicide.
If there's such a thing as "cellular memory," as has been speculated due to people with organ transplants suddenly acquiring a taste for foods previously disliked or developing a love for motorcycles where none existed prior to surgery, only to find out that the donor had a taste for those foods or loved motorcycles ... well, let's just say that suicide donor and suicide recipient doesn't sound like a long term proposition. It also sounds like a rush to glory, to be the first to perform the surgery, with little to no regard for the psychological state of the patient.
Face transplant from Helen Thomas or a butt transplant from Shrillary?
One of my favorite t-shirts: "If I could ride my wife as much as I ride my motorcycle I would be home right now."
"How is the psychological state of the patient improved by having a chewed off face?"
It's not "improved" at all. However, subjecting a psychologically unstable person to having the face of another person is asking for big problems. If she actually did try to kill herself, and learns that what is now part of her came from another who succeeded in killing herself, she's going to be a real mess despite having her face made "whole" again.
This thing just feels wrong, from the just-doesn't-add-up story about how the woman was injured, to persistent reports of attempted suicide, to the donor being a successful suicide, to the doctors having apparently ignored completely any extenuating circumstances.
It really doesn't sound as if this will come to a good end to me.
"Now, the physicians involved are scrambling to save face."
"Alors! Alors!" Dr. Hirsch was heard to cry out. "My bottom has not been properly kissed!"
"So there doesn't seem to be any ethical questions."
We'll just have to disagree on that one. To me, this whole episode represents an ethical lapse.
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