Topic awaiting preservation: Face Transplants

is it just me...or is the idea of that really creepy!? i mean, i realize that i'm not horribly disfigured and so therefore don't know what it's like to have people act the way they do....but to go around "looking" like someone else?? on the other hand, being the family of the donor....ya see this person walkin around months later...and it looks like your dearly departed??? what an emotional mess!
was just curious what everyone else's take was on this.

I heard Josef Stalin had a whole bunch of people surgically altered to stand in for him during public events.

S^abaal ud T'a johtizuc^ ult'a Fedaro.

Um...do you have a link on this? I'd really like to know how someone can have a face transplant. I mean, wouldn't you have to take the whole front half of the skull?

(Or maybe this is a joke I'm missing...?)



  Offbeat, roadside Texas attractions. (A little Google bombing doesn't hurt.)

Actually, when I first saw this thread I thought for a moment that it said "face plant"--which brings up an entirely different set of images altogether.

Hey Wes, didn't you see Face Off?

Movies never lie!

well, actually i saw it on the news here in oz...but i'm sure it's a world new thing. gimme a sec and i'll dig around and see if i can't find a link to it or something


[edit] http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/11/27/face.transplant.reut/index.html
here it is from cnn

[This message has been edited by Lacuna (edited 11-30-2002).]

Hmmmm,

Sounds really wild.

The article stated that the patient would still have the same structural build as before... just a "new face".

Just seeing people like Barbara Walters make me think that even a facelift (or in her case... several facelifts) is a bad idea. That chic is spooky. I can't imagine walking around with someone else's skin.

The movie that comes to mind for me isn't Face off... it's Men in Black. "Sugar!"

Regards

Men in Black was good - that does fit, but definitely weirdly. Face Off came to mind first. I had to think about MIB for a sec.

After reading the initial post, my first thought was that the skin would take the shape of the bones underneath, so a vague resemblance might be visible, but I think the patient would still more or less resemble themselves. But *shudder* I agree about that "other person's skin" comment... Now that would be weird.

Did anyone see that Simpsons Halloween episode about Snake's hair? You know there's people who believe that when you receive an organ transplant, especially for heart patients, that you take on some of the qualities of the donor... Wonder what qualities someone's face would impart? Sure do make ya think, don't it?

Bodhi - Cell 617

Yup...

It's kinda cool when you consider someone donating organs, I have poor eyesight and have to use glasses or contacts. With my lousy eyes I'm just glad I can see anything... i'd hate to be blind.

The whole burn victim and skin grafting thing makes me hurt just thinking about it. I didn't catch that particular episode of the Simpsons but it is knida cool to think about the characteristics of another being "grafted" into the patient via the organ.

Snake's hair ... nobody would want my hair.

Regards

qadash, if you happen across that rerun, sit down for a moment and take it in. That episode is too funny!

I'm so nearsighted myself that I can't see 3 inches in front of my nose without my glasses or contacts. I might be interested in a new pair of eyes if they can perfect that one. But I'm not sure I'd like someone elses eyes!

There've been a number of books published about that phenomenon. Can't think right now of the titles or authors, I just remember running across them in the bookstore, and that sort of thing catches my attention. In particular, most of the books are written about heart transplant patients. The patient, after surgery, begins to exhibit personality traits not normal for them. It's then learned that those personality traits are similar to the donor's personality in life. Weird.
Wonder how that affects kidney transplant patients?

Bodhi - Cell 617

quote:

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Wonder how that affects kidney transplant patients?

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Indeed!

It's interesting to hear about the characteristics side of the transplant. Kindy spooky too.

I've been waiting for the Lasik surgery to get their margine of error down and am seriously looking at it for my wife & I. Man, I can relate to the need for shorter arms too... I'm very nearsighted.

Good to know they can do heart & other organ transplants but i hope I never have to experience one firsthand.

I'll watch for the episode... sounds cool.

Regards

Ah... to see the alarm clock in the morning without having to reach for glasses... (that's when the cats know I'm awake!)

Shorter arms, eh? I can see where they'd come in handy... (no pun intended...) I'm waiting for health insurance to cover Lasik on a regular basis - then I'm goin' for it!

Bodhi - Cell 617

Hey I'm with you on the insurance thing... kinda pricey surgery.

There was a TV sitcom here a few months ago that did a little routine on Lasik and the husband got a coupon for his wife's surgery. Funny... don't remember the show's name though. The ending is always predictable but it was still pretty funny.

Regards