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From: [e-mail] (Timothy Freeman)
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics,news.answers
Subject: Cryonics FAQ 1: Index
Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions
   and their answers about cryonics, the practice of carefully preserving
   very recently clinically and legally dead people in hopes that they can be
   revived in the future.  It should be read
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                   Cryonics
            Frequently Asked Question List
        Last Modified Sun Dec 20 16:15:52 1992

Cryonic suspension is an experimental procedure whereby patients who
can no longer be kept alive with today's medical abilities are
preserved at low temperatures for treatment in the future.

Send comments about this list to Tim Freeman ([e-mail]).  The
words "I" and "me" in these answers refer to opinions of Tim Freeman,
which may or may not be shared by others.

There is much information available as cryomsg's.  You can fetch
cryomsg "n" by sending mail to [e-mail] or to
[e-mail] with the subject line "CRYOMSG n".  You can get
a current version of this entire FAQ list by fetching cryomsg "0018".
You can get a current version of section "n" of this FAQ list by
fetching cryomsg "0018.n".

In this list, the acronym "CRFT" stands for "Cryonics: Reaching for
Tomorrow", which is available from Alcor (the first copy is free).
The address of Alcor is part of the answer to Question 6-4.

Much more is said about Alcor than any other cryonics organization
in this list.  There are several reasons for this.  First, Alcor is
the largest, and it gets the most attention.  Second, I am an
Alcor member, and most of the reference material I have on hand was
written by Alcor.  I invite people more familiar with other
organizations to contribute answers to these questions.

This FAQ list needs a new maintainer.  Cryomsg 1242 describes what the
new maintainer would need to do to take over the job.  If you are
interested, send me mail.

This FAQ list would also benefit from a detailed comparison of the
various cryonics operations.  My thoughts about what could go into
this are in cryomsg 1241.  If you want to volunteer to write this
answer, send me mail.

               Section 1: Index

This FAQ list has these sections:

1. Index
2. Science/Technology            -- Is cryonics feasible?
3. Philosophy/Religion            -- Is cryonics good?
4. Controversy surrounding Cryonics -- Dora Kent, Cryobiologists, Donaldson
5. Neurosuspension            -- Whether to take your body with you.
6. Suspension Arrangements        -- The organizations that exist.
7. Cost of Cryonics            -- Why does cryonics cost so much?
8. Communications            -- How to find out more.
9. Glossary & Acknowledgements        -- Important and unimportant jargon.

The following questions are covered.  Questions marked with a "*"
are not yet answered.

              2. Science/Technology
2-1.  Has anyone been successfully revived from cryonic suspension?
2-2.  What advances need to be made before people frozen now have a chance
      of being revived?
2-3.  Is there any government or university supported research on cryonics
      specifically?
2-4.  What is the procedure for freezing people?
2-5.  How can one get a more detailed account of a suspension?
2-6.  Is there damage from oxygen deprivation during a suspension?
2-7.  Do memories require an ongoing metabolism to support them, like RAM in
      a computer?
2-8.  If these frozen people are revived, will it be easy to cure them of
      whatever disease made them clinically die?
2-9.  If I'm frozen and then successfully revived, will my body be old?
2-10. Why is freezing in liquid nitrogen better than other kinds of
      preservation, such as drying or embalming?
2-11. What is vitrification?
2-12. How is the baboon? Did it live? Any brain damage?
2-13. Who has successfully kept dogs cold for hours?  Did they survive? Any
      brain damage?
2-14. Who froze the roundworms?  What happened?
2-15. What were the circumstances under which cat brains produced
      normal-looking brain waves after being frozen?
2-16. Would it be possible to use some improvement on modern CAT or MRI
      scanners to infer enough about the structure of a brain to reconstruct
      the memories and personality?

             3. Philosophy/Religion
3-1.  Are the frozen people dead?
3-2.  Is cryonics suicide?
3-3.  What about overpopulation?
3-4.  When are two people the same person?
3-5.  What if they repair the freezing damage (and install a new body, in
      the case of neurosuspension), and the resulting being acts and talks
      as though it were me, but it isn't really me?
3-6.  What would happen if people didn't age?
3-7.  Would it be better to be suspended now or later?
3-8.  Why would anyone be revived?
3-9.  Is there a conflict between cryonics and religious beliefs?
3-10. Is attempting to extend life consistent with Christianity?

           4. Controversy surrounding Cryonics
4-1.  Why do cryobiologists have such a low opinion of cryonics?  How did this
      start, and how does it continue?
4-2.  Who made the statement about reviving a frozen person being similar to
      reconstructing the cow from hamburger?
4-3.  What was the Dora Kent case?
4-4.  What about that fellow in the news with the brain tumor?

               5. Neurosuspension
5-1.  What are the pros and cons of neurosuspension (only freezing the head)?
5-2.  How many people have chosen neurosuspension over whole-body
      suspension? (This question has only a partial answer.)

               6. Suspension Arrangements
6-1.  How many people are frozen right now?
6-2.  How is suspension paid for?
6-3.  How will reanimation be paid for?
6-4.  What suspension organizations are available?
6-5.  How can I get financial statements for the various organizations to
      evaluate their stability?
6-6.  How hard will these people work to freeze me?
6-7.  What obligations do the suspension organizations have to the people
      they have suspended?  Will they pay for revival and rehabilitation?
6-8.  How long has this been going on?
6-9.  How much of the resources of the cryonics organizations are reserved
      for reviving patients?
6-10.*What should I do if I want to be frozen but my relatives hate the idea?
6-11. How can I pay for my own revival and rehabilitation, and keep some of
      my financial assets after revival?
6-12. Is Walt Disney frozen?

               7. Cost of Cryonics
7-1.  Why does cryonics cost so much?
7-2.  Is anyone getting rich from cryonics?  What are the salaries at these
      organizations like?
7-3. *How do cryonics organizations invest their money to last for the long
      term?

                8. Communications
8-1.  How can I get more information?
8-2.  What is a cryomsg?  How do I fetch one?