2CRYONICS AND THE ALCOR LIFE EXTENSION1 study of low temperatures.) 2FOUNDATION1 Cryonics is not a cult or a religion 3CRYONIC SUSPENSION1 is an experimental of any kind. The people involved in procedure whereby patients who can no cryonics hold widely varying views on longer be kept alive with today's religion, politics,and social issues. medical abilities are preserved at Their occupations include scientists, low temperatures for treatment in the physicians, computer programmers, future.Although this procedure is not business owners, teachers,librarians, yet reversible, it is based on the and secretaries. However, they all expectation that medical technology agree that being alive is a wonderful of the future will be able to cure thing and that this technology may today's diseases, reverse the effects help them stay that way. of aging, and repair any additional Cryonics might better be seen as an injury caused by the freezing experimental medical technology. This process. That superior technology label may seem strange at first,since could then resuscitate suspended many people have gotten the mistaken patients to enjoy health and youth impression that cryonics patients are indefinitely. The field which deals dead. Cryonics is not a new way of with this procedure is called storing dead bodies. It is a new way 3CRYONICS.1 (NOTE: This should not be of saving lives. Cryonicists refer to confused with "cryogenics," which is these frozen people as 2PATIENTS,1 the branch of engineering which is because we firmly believe that they concerned with the production and are,in a very real sense,still alive. People really are being frozen; it is as an aged, infirm person. no longer science fiction. Approximately 50 persons have been Cryonics is not yet accepted as a frozen since the first cryonic legitimate life-saving procedure by suspension in 1967. About 300 other today's medical authorities. With our people have made the financial and current technology we cannot prove legal arrangements to be suspended in that a frozen human can be repaired case they should become terminally and revived (although a great deal of ill or injured. However,any stories research suggests that this will be you may read about frozen people possible in the future). being revived are definitely science Unfortunately, this situation creates fiction. No human has ever been numerous medical, legal, and even thawed out and revived (with the political difficulties. For instance, exception of human embryos), and it if a patient were to be suspended will be a long time before this while he was legally alive,someone happens. Medical technology has might claim that the suspension not yet advanced to the point where process itself had killed the cryonic suspension is reversible; patient, creating the possibility of today's deadly illnesses and injuries criminal or civil charges against the are not yet curable;and even if these suspension team. Therefore, current things had been accomplished,there is cryonics practice is to suspend dying no point in reviving anyone until patients as soon as possible after the aging process is fully under cardiac arrest (stopping of the control.No one wants to be reawakened heart) and declaration of "legal death." people have survived heart attacks and other conditions which would have This course of action can be seen as been fatal 40 years ago.Children have reasonable once one realizes that survived over an hour of "drowning" "legal death" is not the same as in cold water.Were those heart attack "biological death." A physician and drowning victims really dead declares legal death when a patient's forty years ago, but nature has condition cannot be repaired with changed the rules today? Of course current medical knowledge and tech- not; those people were still alive -- niques. However, the process of doctors just did not know what to do deterioration which we call "dying" about it. In the same way,most people is not a sudden happening. It is much who are declared dead 3TODAY1 would be more like slipping into an ever called "alive" by doctors of the deepening coma. Even several hours future.With that observation in mind, after declaration of death, most of we think these patients should be the cells in the body (including considered potentially "alive" 3NOW,1 those in the brain) are still and we should do something to 3KEEP1 individually alive and capable of them that way. resuming function. Even within the next 10-15 years, you As late as the 1940's, people who are likely to be amazed by the amount stopped breathing because of heart of progress in recovering patients attacks or drowning were routinely from strokes, heart attacks, and lack declared dead. Today thousands of of blood circulation to the brain. Ultimately, it should be possible to revival. We do not know enough to recover patients as long as basic state with absolute certainty that brain structure remains intact this procedure is workable. However, (several hours past the point at the case for the possible future which today's doctors give up).In the revival of suspended patients grows next century, the medical knowledge stronger all of the time. One recent of the 1990's will seem as primitive argument in favor of future repair as the medical understandings of one and revival of suspended patients was hundred years ago seem to us. Cryonic provided by K. Eric Drexler in his suspension itself will cure nothing, fascinating book, ENGINES OF CREATION but it buys time for the patient, (Doubleday, 1986). This book details keeping his body virtually un- the beginnings of the new field of changed until a future when his "nanotechnology" (also called suspended state may be considered "molecular engineering"). Nanotech- only an extremely deep coma. Even now nology is the next step smaller than there is solid evidence that cooling micro-technology, and it will create the human body to liquid nitrogen industries which will operate by temperature (-320 degrees F), with working with atoms and molecules one the use of techniques to reduce at a time. Among other astounding freezing injury,can preserve the fine developments, this will lead to structure of the brain indefinitely. computers and cell repair machines one thousand times smaller than a There is no guarantee that cryonic human cell. Such devices could repair suspension will ever allow for future any disease or injury (including that from freezing) by working directly on Riverside,California.Alcor was formed the cells themselves. as a mutual aid society, where the members are committed to helping each It must be pointed out that cryon- other. All Alcor board members, icists are not people with some officials, and suspension team fixation on cold temperatures. None personnel are required to be full of us want to be frozen. We are suspension members. We do not want a simply people who like being alive, situation which could pit "Alcor" and who want to see the future and against "the members." Alcor IS its all of its wonders. For us, cryonics members. All decisions on the safety provides a safety net, a last-ditch of the patients and stability of the attempt at life-saving which may give organization are made with the us the chance to see that future. knowledge that they will affect everyone in the organization. Our cryonics organization, the Alcor Life Extension Foundation ("Alcor"), If you would like further information is a California not-for-profit you may order the following corporation, registered with the publications (among others) from Internal Revenue Service as a tax- Alcor: exempt scientific organization. Alcor has a fully equipped and operational 2ALCOR:1 THRESHOLD TO TOMORROW research laboratory, operating room, (introductory booklet) and patient storage facility in FREE for 1st copy. Extra copies $5.00 each. 12327 Doherty Street, 2THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF CRYONICS1 Riverside, California 92503 (selected reprints) $10.00. Telephone 800-367-2228 (In California, 714-736-1703) 2SIGNING UP MADE SIMPLE1 (How to provide the legal and financial - Wake up from this bullshit guys, arrangements for cryonic suspension, you're all gonna diiiieeeeeeeee!!!! with filled-out sample forms.) Just accept the facts.... - Polaris $10.00. Subscription to 2CRYONICS1 magazine 3Article by1 : 2FROSTIE JOE1 at $25.00 per year (12 issues ). 3Clipart by1 : 2PUNISHER/ECLIPSE1 Fascinating articles and discussion on the current state of cryonics,plus science updates. Please send a check or money order;no cash, please. Phone toll-free to use Visa or MasterCard. Make all checks payable to Alcor Life Extension Foundation and mail to: Alcor Life Extension Foundation