Category Archives: Cryonics

A team from Suspended Animation, of Boynton Beach, Florida, drove to Missouri, for the Alcor case that didn't happen.

"Suspended Animation deployed two team members to drive their emergency response vehicle to Missouri as a precautionary measure. By the time the Alcor team landed, the member had been hospitalized and quickly began showing signs of recovery. Over the next few days he recovered enough to return to the nursing home and the emergency responders soon departed."http://www.alcornews.org/weblog/2010/09/recent_alcor_deployment.html

How can anyone take that seriously? A company with a handful of unnamed staff members, (said to be on a mission of preserving brains to be revived in the future, no less), sends two of them, (probably no one qualified to do ANY sort of invasive procedure in a real-world medical situation), on a drive that is a minimum of 2,000 miles, roundtrip, and Alcor thinks it was a learning experience? Seriously? Hopefully, they learned the proper emergency transport vehicle for that sort of distance is AN AIRPLANE.

Alcor didn't name a city, so I was generous and picked the Missouri city that showed up closest to Florida, on Mapquest, that being Bragg City. It was 1,068 miles from SA's doorstep. Guess what? if they had actually had a case, it would have been another 1,500 miles to Alcor, during which the patient would have been deteriorating at relatively warm temperatures.

Sometimes, I really think someone is carrying out an elaborate hoax, and they are making all this stuff up. I can't believe anyone is foolish enough to write about such nonsense, much less actually do it; it simply defies common sense.

Who's going to show up for YOUR $60,000 SA cryonics "standby, stabilization, and support" procedures, during one of SA's road trips, (assuming they sent their least-underqualified team members)? (Intentional grammatical faus pas.)

If you were in need of medical attention, would you call an ambulance from more than 1,000 miles away? Especially one that was likely to show up lacking personnel qualified to perform the procedures you were in need of? What a bunch of kooks.

There's a very well-written definition of QUACKERY, by Stephen Barrett, MD. It suits cryonics, perfectly, especially with this statement: "Most people think of quackery as promoted by charlatans who deliberately exploit their victims. Actually, most promoters are unwitting victims who share misinformation and personal experiences with others." http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/quackdef.html

Alcor, and other companies engaging in cryonics activities, seem to think they can get away with anything, as long as they call it "speculation," or insert some sort of disclaimer in the small print of their advertisements and contracts. Let's compare true medical speculation to quackery:

Hypothetical Situation A: A reputable group of scientific researchers determine that Drug X, delivered at 40 degrees C, (normal human body temp is approximately 37C), for a period of 60 minutes, kills HIV in human tissue in vitro, and in animal testing. They speculate this technique will cure HIV, in human patients. With the proper regulatory approvals, they enlist qualified vascular surgeons and perfusionists, to deliver Drug X to willing test subjects. The drug may, or may not, work, in a living person, but the researchers believe it will. That's SPECULATIVE, but genuine, RESEARCH.

Hypothetical Situation B: A group of scientific researchers believes delivering Drug Z to people, at the time of their legal death, while lowering their temperature to that of liquid nitrogen vapor, will preserve the brains of these people in a condition that may be viable in the future. Instead of enlisting qualified vascular surgeons and perfusionists, to perform the procedures, they allow unskilled laymen to deliver their medications and solutions. That's QUACKERY.

Even if the medical scientists in Hypothetical Situation A had come up with a valid treatment, but enlisted layman to deliver their treatment, that would be QUACKERY and, most likely, every single one of their test subjects would have died during the treatment. Vascular cannulations and perfusion are NOT tasks for golf pros, or metal fabricators, or store clerks, or shoe salesmen...they are tasks for skilled professionals. If they are performed incorrectly, the result is DEATH.

Catherine Baldwin, Manager of Suspended Animation, in Boynton Beach, Florida, dared to refer to herself as the "backup surgeon," in the Curtis Henderson case, (CI-95) but judging by her own reports and other witnesses, Ms. Baldwin and her Suspended Animation team members, kept Mr. Henderson at relatively warm temperatures, for many hours, while she sliced away on him, unable to find his femoral vessels, (some of the largest vessels in the human body). That's QUACKERY.

I happen to think cryonics is some combination of Dr. Barrett's definition of "quackery," coupled with a lot of intentional deceit, on the part of a handful of people who are making a lot of money, working for certain cryonics organizations.

Though Charles Platt has told various people he is no longer very involved in cryonics, and he frequently criticizes the Cold Filter Cryonics forum, he can't seem to stay away...especially from MY posts. Not long ago, he went ballistic, when I agreed with a Ted Williams' relative's remark that the TW case notes were "disgusting." Yesterday, Platt responded to a post I made, more than three weeks ago, with this:

"I co-wrote the text that has been quoted, and thus noticed that the quote omitted the preceding sentence, which provides context. Here is the full version (from http://www.alcor.org/AboutCryonics/index.html):
"Cryonics is the speculative practice of using cold to preserve the life of a person who can no longer be supported by ordinary medicine. The goal is to carry the person forward through time, for however many decades or centuries might be necessary, until the preservation process can be reversed, and the person restored to full health."
Emphasis added.
Since it is the goal of a speculative practice--no, obviously it is not a promise or a guarantee."

Charles Platt http://www.network54.com/Forum/291677/message/1284788088/context

In this context, stating that cryonics is "speculative" is just a form of deception, in my opinion, meant to distract people from the fact that cryonics organizations allow just about anyone off the street to perform vascular cannulations and perfusion, (well-established medical procedures, which are NOT "speculative"). Platt stating, (on behalf of Alcor), that cryonics is "speculative" is NOT the same as admitting Alcor is known to allow unqualified personnel to attempt to perform medical procedures, for which they have received NO formal training. Of course, open-heart surgery would probably be a lot more "speculative" if the people in control were sending golf pros and metal fabricators, to perform these procedures, (something Platt did, for a cryonics "patient," at Suspended Animation).

Obviously, Mr. Platt missed this (something else I wrote on CF):

"Until I see, on the websites of Alcor and SA, either the names and qualifications of people who are qualified to competently provide vascular cannulations and perfusion, or a BIG BOLD disclaimer at the top of the page, stating something like "The people performing our procedures may have no formal medical education or training, and may not be competent in performing our surgical procedures," I am going to cross over to the side of people favoring the stringent regulation of cryonics." http://www.network54.com/Forum/291677/message/1281789823/This+is+not+a+%26quot%3Bfeud%26quot%3B

Platt, (my former supervisor at Suspended Animation), has been complaining about me mentioning his name, for more than three years, but the truth is I very rarely mention him, when he refrains from posting nonsense. I'm having a really hard time believing he sincerely wants me to ignore him, when he persists in responding to my posts. I did not realize he wrote the comment I criticized, but if he wants to take credit for that particular piece of distraction, (smoke and mirrors, propaganda, BS, etc.), let's give credit where credit is due.

"Richiekgb" recently wrote about an upcoming UK event sponsored by Suspended Animation, (SA), of Boynton Beach, Florida. I've yet to find the original link, and the only conference I see being promoted on SA's home page, is the one they held in May 2007. I hope some sensible UK agency steps in, to prevent their citizens from being taken advantage of by these people, who are not qualified to perform the procedures they are selling, at ridiculously high prices, (SA charges $60,000.00 for their services in the US). These people are not capable of performing simple tasks, much less preserving a brain in a condition good enough to be viable in the future. Add in the transport from the UK to a cryonics storage facility in Arizona, or Michigan, and you've got yourself a "no-brainer," (literally).

In June 2009, Suspended Animation traveled from Boynton Beach, Florida, to Albany, New York, to provide services for Mr. Curtis Henderson, an historical figure, in cryonics. Though SA had been in business for seven years, and had spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $7M (seven million) dollars, preparing to perform their procedures, they couldn't even get their equipment on the plane, without screwing up. From their case report for CI-95 (Curtis Henderson):

"Arrangements for airline cargo movement of the kits were made the evening before deployment. When the team arrived at the air cargo office at 5am, the agent would not accept the kits because they did not have SA’s federal shipper number, account number and had no air bill for the kit, with these numbers included. Attempting to check the kits as luggage, Continental Airlines would not accept two of the Pelican cases containing the ATP and the MHP2 perfusate because they exceeded maximum allowable weight limits. Two team members stayed behind to make shipping arrangements for the remaining kits, while three team members flew on to Albany. Two team members were delayed by 4 hours and critical kits were delayed by 12 hours." (Emphasis added.)
http://suspendedinc.com/cases/Stabilization%20and%20Transport%20Case%20Report%20CI95.pdf

In their report, SA printed a "corrective action" that included making sure none of the kits exceeded the maximum weight for the major airlines. Guess what? I did that task, when I was working at SA, in 2006. The information was distributed to all the staff members, and some of the kits were modified, as a result. What happened between 2006 and 2009? I believe most of SA's staff members are the same, with the exception of Catherine Baldwin, so why did not one of my former co-workers bother to keep that very important information updated? (Rhetorical question...when I was at SA, some staff members were not really doing anything, on an almost-daily basis.)

TO CRYONICISTS IN THE UK: Suspended Animation cannot get their luggage on a plane, even when they have overnight to prepare, much less transport your brain to the US, in a viable condition. SA will no longer name their staff members, or patient care providers, because most of the people known to have performed their procedures have little-to-no medical, or scientific, training. If you believe in the kind of technology that will be needed to repair the damage they will inflict upon your brain, and the normal degradation your brain will undergo, (warm ischemia before they get to you, temperature variances while your brain travels on a commercial airliner to the US, etc.), then you believe in repairs so advanced you don't need SA's services. If you believe future nanotech will be able to repair that degree of damage, leave your life insurance and your estate to your loved ones, and have your head and/or body sealed in some sort of container. Your chances of future nanobots being able to put you back together again, will probably be the same as they will be, if you are transported to the US to be cryogenically preserved, but at a much lower cost. If there was a probability less than zero, that is what I would assign to the odds of a person from the UK being transported to the US, being "resurrected," after receiving services from US cryonics companies, such as Suspended Animation. (Intentionally using a word with religious/cultish connotations.)

While the US cryo-companies are in the UK, they are going to try to sign you up for a life insurance policy, with their companies as the beneficiaries. They may even try to get you to fork over an irrevocable trust, or to remember them in your will. If you are smart, you will take whatever you might have spent on such an insurance policy and spend it on a good health club, nutritional food, (not supplements, which are mostly unproven), and living the one life you can be sure of, to its fullest. Maybe, one of these days, reputable scientists and medical professionals will explore the possibilities of cryonics, but for now, cryonics looks more like a scam, than anything else.

Here is the information Richiekgb/!Jill posted on the AntiCult site:
http://forum.rickross.com/read.php?12,64749,91653

"Cryonics UK European Exposition
with Saul Kent + Catherine Baldwin
Thursday, September 23, 2010 • 12:00pm - 6:00pm, Sheffield • function room at the Sheffield Park Hotel

Cryonics UK exposition / European workshop with some very noteworthy guests from America who wish to meet as many cryonicists (especially Europeans) as possible at this event.

Catherine Baldwin (General Manager, Suspended Animation, Inc.) and Saul Kent (CEO, Suspended Animation, Inc.; Director, Alcor; Co-Founder, Cryonics Society of New York; Co-Founder, Life Extension Foundation; Co-Founder and Director, 21st Century Medicine; Co-Founder and Director, BioMarker Pharmaceuticals; Co-Founder, Timeship Project) will be in attendance, and are looking forward to meeting as many European cryonicists as possible while here.

On this day, we will mostly not be at our usual location, our HQ, but nearby in a hired function room at the Sheffield Park Hotel, a pleasant four star venue around the corner from our HQ. The day will however also include a brief tour of our HQ.

The purpose of the event is severalfold; to allow European cryonicists to meet and ask questions of Saul and Catherine, and also to allow Saul and Catherine to get to know a little better what we do over here and how we do it.

To this end, there will be open discussion time, some short structured presentations (Cryonics UK training, Cryonics in Europe, etc), a tour of our clinic and ambulance, and some social element too.

Attendance is free of charge, as the costs of the event (venue and catering) will be paid by kind sponsorship from Suspended Animation Inc."

Aschwin de Wolf writes:

http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2009/09/22/the-future-of-alcor/

"For most of its history Alcor used to be rather transparent about staff member salaries in its communications and the magazine. It may not be a coincidence that this practice disappeared during the period when Alcor saw substantial increases in compensation for (some of) its staff members. To give some perspective, the old Tim Freeman Cryonics FAQ included the following question and answer:

7-2. Is anyone getting rich from cryonics? What are the salaries at these organizations like?

In December 1990, Cryonics magazine reported that the Board of Directors of Alcor voted a 25% pay cut for all of the staff, so they could keep their budget balanced. Many of the Directors are also on the staff. The salaries after the cut ranged from $22,500 annually for the highest paid full-time employee (the President) to $14,400 for the lowest-paid full-time employee. None of the Alcor staff are getting rich from their salaries.

It would be a worthwhile undertaking to do a comprehensive study of Alcor’s staff and consultant compensation history and policies (or lack thereof). There is never a shortage of arguments to justify higher compensation and ad-hoc decision making in cryonics, but it is doubtful that generous salary increases in the industry over the years were necessary to recruit or retain competent staff members. It might even be argued that a number of problems in cryonics are actually linked to offering wages that exceed what the employees who receive them would otherwise earn in the market place. Similarly, substantial cost savings can be obtained by increasing productivity and decreasing staff members. Issues of compensation and staff efficiency should be essential topics of consideration in any serious discussion about Alcor becoming more self-sustaining and less dependent on wealthy donors." http://www.depressedmetabolism.com/2009/09/22/the-future-of-alcor/

(Emphasis added. It might even be argued that many of the recipients of overly-generous salaries, at cryonics organizations, would not be offered any salary at all, in a conventional medical, or scientific, setting.)

To see Alcor's salaries, and other expenses, look for their Form 990's, here: http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/990finder/

2008 shows Tanya Jones (listed as "Exec Dir, CEO, President COO) being paid $83,797 and receiving an additional $5,627 in "Other compensation." If you add up all the salaries listed on Alcor's 2008 Form 990, you get $196,362, which is reported on page 10, line 5, of that report. Just below that figure, on page 10, line 7, you will see "Other salaries and wages" of $270,538. Whom did that money go to? The same situation exists, in 2007, with $203,825 going to named staff members, and $283,286 going to "other."

I'm not going to take the time to go back, any further. Maybe Alcor has a valid reason for providing mysterious "Other salaries and wages" far in excess of those provided to the named staff members. If so, I'm sure some Alcor members would like to know what that reason is, and where that money is going.

The total salaries at Suspended Animation, of Boynton Beach, Florida, (primarily funded by Life Extension Foundation (LEF)), are far in excess of those being paid, at Alcor, in spite of SA having less named "Officers, Directors and Trustees," than Alcor, at last count. I think it's safe to assume the LEF-funded salaries at Critical Care Research and 21st Century Medicine are comparable to, or in excess of, those being paid by Alcor. Why are people with so few qualifications amongst them, being paid so much money? This situation seems to have more to do with "loyalty," rather than qualifications and/or competency.

This has been one of the funniest weeks on the Cold Filter forum, ever! First, a few people made fools out of themselves, trying to pretend I committed libel, in my post about Alcor membership dues, which clearly does not contain any libelous remarks. (See previous post.)