In a message dated 6/27/01 3:15:13 PM US Mountain Standard Time,
John@deRivaz.com writes in part:
Attempting a procedure much less likely to succeed than its main purpose
(cryopreservation) could endanger the lives of its cryopreserved patients if
it gets into a conflict with lawyers, who like it or not have a great deal of
power to destroy in our society. That is the real point of the controversy
over whether to exhume and cryopreserve buried bodies.
On this basis, then, anyone proposing to cryopreserve exhumed "remains" has
to separate this procedure from that known as "cryonics". It may be helpful
to cryonics if this process is called something else. This is similar to the
way the word "cryonics" is used to separate this activity from "cryogenics"
or "cryobiology".
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I suppose we could call it "cryostorage" or possibly "cryonic interment"
(which was briefly and occasionally used for "cryonics"). However, a couple
of notes:
1. We could not easily do it any time soon, because changing the name would
not eliminate the problems, if we have a cryonics organization taking exhumed
remains. We cannot take such risks.
2. In the past it has occasionally been suggested--and I agreed, and still
do--that there would be a market (probably much larger than the current
market for cryonics) for frozen storage for merely cosmetic purposes, like
embalming. A relatively large number of people, I am convinced, would pay
just to assure that the outward appearance of the deceased would be
preserved. Liquid nitrogen would not be necessary--just electrical
refrigeration or dry ice.
Again, even if an entirely separate company and label were used, there would
inevitably be confusion in the press, and in the minds of some of the
potential customers, as to what is being offered or promised.
Still, it may be worth someone's attention at some time. Maybe Barry Albin
would have thoughts. Barry offers services including cremation, which he
would not choose for himself, as well as burial and cryonics.
Bob
Received on Wed Jun 27 20:28:58 2001
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