# Decapitated dog head lives on.



## Nymphsy (Mar 24, 2013)

At first I thought this was fake, but apparently, A Russian scientist in the 1920's was able to keep a decapitated dog head alive. I posted this solely to hear everyone's thoughts, and because I think people would find it interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=rSrIkUXwsNk

Bonus question: would you pay to be able to live on after death in a fashion somewhat like this if you were given the opportunity?


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## Schwimmwagen (Mar 24, 2013)

That's kinda scary. 

I wouldn't like it myself. I dunno, life seems like it'd be really boring without arms and not being able to eat things.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 24, 2013)

Well that made me feel quite ill. Surely it is fake? Can you post another source to confirm it?

My youtube suggestions are now full of horrible stuff...

I'm not sure how to respond to the bonus question. If I had a synthetic body that might be nice, however I would not feel comfortable at all if I knew my longevity came from quite frankensteinish treatment of animals [though I seem to be a-ok with medicines that have formerly been tested on animals! what a funny hypocrisy]


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## ausren (Mar 24, 2013)

Is this a joke? Imagine being paralyzed from the neck-down. Relying on everyone for everything; that person may not treat you well, not give you what you need, may even be abusive. In a decapitated head's case, you wouldn't be able to eat, or speak or any of that. The only sense you might have is sight. Enjoy sitting on a shelf forever.

No, I don't think anyone would want that.


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## Nymphsy (Mar 24, 2013)

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.co...cientists-kept-a-dogs-severed-head-alive/1315
http://archive.org/details/Experime1940
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experiments_in_the_Revival_of_Organisms

Sources confirming that the video is real.

Edit: 





ausren said:


> Is this a joke? Imagine being paralyzed from the neck-down. Relying on everyone for everything; that person may not treat you well, not give you what you need, may even be abusive. In a decapitated head's case, you wouldn't be able to eat, or speak or any of that. The only sense you might have is sight. Enjoy sitting on a shelf forever.
> 
> No, I don't think anyone would want that.



A lot of people rely on everyone for everything, and don't do very much, they're usually located in elderly homes though.


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## Percy (Mar 24, 2013)

I've seen this a while back. It's likely fake, but still pretty grotesque...


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## Schwimmwagen (Mar 24, 2013)

Fallowfox said:


> Well that made me feel quite ill. Surely it is fake? Can you post another source to confirm it?
> 
> My youtube suggestions are now full of horrible stuff...
> 
> I'm not sure how to respond to the bonus question. If I had a synthetic body that might be nice, however I would not feel comfortable at all if I knew my longevity came from quite frankensteinish treatment of animals [though I seem to be a-ok with medicines that have formerly been tested on animals! what a funny hypocrisy]



Apparently it's real and done by this dude: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Demikhov

But yeah it seems like this is some pretty important development. Sort of. I don't think keeping a dog's head alive is valuable to anyone (not even the dog) but if a dude got cut in half by a chainsaw or something, he'd be able to be hooked up to this sort of life support system and if the technology allowed it, be part-machine.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 24, 2013)

Anyone reminded of futurama?

Thanks for posting those links, Nymphsy. Although some of the sources on the wiki page lead to 404 errors. 

I feel really really sick. I understand that pushing medical knowledge, especially that surrounding the rather recondite field of death, is a necessity...but it makes my stomach role over.

Out of interest, the articles on these scientists state that they undertook head transplants...I find it difficult to imagine their sophistication, since attaching complicated bits of nerve tissue is still a rather novel technique.


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## ausren (Mar 24, 2013)

Nymphsy said:


> Edit:
> 
> A lot of people rely on everyone for everything, and don't do very much, they're usually located in elderly homes though.



Do you think those people are very happy? Have you personally had a similar experience? I think most elderly are happy to go on to the afterlife, or back into the Earth, or whatever they believe in, rather than stay alive while not really living. Have you ever heard a middle-aged person say "don't you dare put me in a home"? Yeah, they say that for a reason. Plenty of workers there are not the kindest to the elderly.

When our technology reaches a point where that head can be attached to a machine body and be controlled completely by thought, it might be appealing to someone to live that way. But you asked about living as a head. That's laughable to me.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 24, 2013)

Seriously, people complain about stem cell research- a group of cells with no more mental sentiency than a bacterium, when this kind of thing went on. 

I suppose a microscopic collection of human cells is awarded more integrity by some.


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## Ganjaman97 (Mar 24, 2013)

That's trippy as hell. I wouldn't.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 24, 2013)

On a related note Unit 731 experimented with human vivisection and reattaching limbs in novel places...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731

enjoy


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## Batty Krueger (Mar 24, 2013)

Yeah that's a propaganda video, it's not real. The dogs head moves up and down, it wouldn't be able to do that if it wasn't attached to anything.

Fake.


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## Hewge (Mar 24, 2013)

Eehh that's rather gross. Why couldn't they have just put the dog out of its misery? >.>

Hopefully fake.


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## benignBiotic (Mar 24, 2013)

I doubt the validity of that. 

If it were possible that would be horrifying. Oh good I'm alive and unable to function from the neck down. Wonderful.


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## Kazooie (Mar 24, 2013)

Wikipedia said:
			
		

> He conducted his dog head transplants during the 1950s, resulting in _*two-headed dogs*_, and this ultimately led to the head transplants in monkeys by Dr. Robert White, who was inspired by Demikhov's work.



Holy hell, that's both incredible and terrifying.


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## Percy (Mar 24, 2013)

Kazooie said:


> Holy hell, that's both incredible and terrifying.[/FONT][/COLOR]


Well... shit. O_O
Mad scientists being mad scientists I suppose.


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## Nymphsy (Mar 24, 2013)

Very interesting stuff being posted in this thread. I don't know why people doubt this is real, though. Various sources have been posted to confirm that the video is real. Also, if I had a cybernetic prosthetic body to accompany my head, then yes, I would live on. If not, eh, I guess it wouldn't be half bad. So, either way, I'd probably do it.


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## Mayonnaise (Mar 24, 2013)

I think this is incredible.

Hmm didn't this experiment lead to heart transplant or something like that?


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## Aetius (Mar 24, 2013)

Fallowfox said:


> On a related note Unit 731 experimented with human vivisection and reattaching limbs in novel places...
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unit_731
> 
> enjoy



On a not so happy ending. As the war ended in Manchukuo, most of the officers/scientists associated with the unit tried to flee to Japan or South Korea to surrender to the Americans. (Those that couldnt make it were captured by the soviets and sent to gulags.) Once in the hands of the US, they managed to bargain their way out of imprisonment by giving the Americans vital research to their experiments that they committed for a ten year period. As a result, almost all were let go and led civilian lives in japan, latter becoming leaders in Japanese pharmaceutical companies.


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## Project H311H0UND (Mar 24, 2013)

I watched this back in high school. Fucked up


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## Fallowfox (Mar 24, 2013)

Aetius said:


> On a not so happy ending. As the war ended in Manchukuo, most of the officers/scientists associated with the unit tried to flee to Japan or South Korea to surrender to the Americans. (Those that couldnt make it were captured by the soviets and sent to gulags.) Once in the hands of the US, they managed to bargain their way out of imprisonment by giving the Americans vital research to their experiments that they committed for a ten year period. As a result, almost all were let go and led civilian lives in japan, latter becoming leaders in Japanese pharmaceutical companies.




We're left in a tricky situation. Allowing them to make use of their research may well have turned over enough knowledge to save substantially more lives in the long term. 

Does this begin to justify the choice to let them lead civilian lives or by extension retrosepctively approve of their tests?


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## Nymphsy (Mar 24, 2013)

Justified acts? No. However, there were benefits. That's pretty much how I view it. Wish I had more to say than that, but my view on it is pretty simple.


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## chagen (Mar 24, 2013)

their was a movie about unit731 but i cant remember the name.


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## Teal (Mar 24, 2013)

Better go thaw out Disney's head.


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## Vaelarsa (Mar 24, 2013)

That's pretty damn cool.

Maybe I'm missing something, but has it been stated anywhere how long the dog had been dead before this happened?

I also immediately thought of the Futurama head jars.


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## Aetius (Mar 24, 2013)

nadja said:


> their was a movie about unit731 but i cant remember the name.



Men behind the sun. Gorefest Hong Kong movie.


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## Willow (Mar 24, 2013)

This video's been around for awhile now and is most definitely real. The fact that they're able to revive the head is really cool but it would totally suck to just be a head for the rest of your life. 

Unless you get a giant robot suit or compensate for not having limbs because that would be pretty freaking cool

Also if I'm not mistaken, the dog was dead before the did the experiment, just in case anyone was wondering.


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## CannonFodder (Mar 24, 2013)

Willow said:


> Also if I'm not mistaken, the dog was dead before the did the experiment, just in case anyone was wondering.


Yeah, what we consider as "death" is more of a "blood isn't pumping to your brain and body".  I wouldn't be surprised if sometime in the future death will become just "too much of the person's brain was damaged for us to fix it".


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## Namba (Mar 25, 2013)

That's fucking disgusting.


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## Nymphsy (Mar 25, 2013)

Eyal Flurry said:


> That's fucking disgusting.



I have to say that although that may be reasonable to think, that head seemed to come from a very cute dog.


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## CannonFodder (Mar 25, 2013)

Eyal Flurry said:


> That's fucking disgusting.


This was before any of us were born.  Don't lose your head over this.


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## Llamapotamus (Mar 25, 2013)

Not even going to watch the video, the very concept disgusts me.


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## Ley (Mar 25, 2013)

That was so fucking cool!


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## Rilvor (Mar 25, 2013)

What profound tragedy is expressed in such.


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## TeenageAngst (Mar 25, 2013)

http://pigsovietla.ytmnd.com/


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## Percy (Mar 25, 2013)

TeenageAngst said:


> http://pigsovietla.ytmnd.com/


Holy shit I haven't seen that website in ages.


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## Butters Shikkon (Mar 25, 2013)

Reminds me of Robert J. White's monkey head transplants. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_J._White

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8On7rktFZME


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## Sarcastic Coffeecup (Mar 25, 2013)

I've seen this some years back.
I feel so bad for the dog. Painful to watch. He's so helpless :c


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## Butters Shikkon (Mar 25, 2013)

Sarcastic Coffeecup said:


> I've seen this some years back.
> I feel so bad for the dog. Painful to watch. He's so helpless :c



Well, we aren't even sure its aware of what's going on. Sure its reflexes are working (like the ears pulling back when a sound is made) but that doesn't mean its all there so to speak. It could be a vegetable for all we know.


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## BRN (Mar 25, 2013)

'Sup.
Quilava represent.


This experiment took place on a human before, actually, sort of. Here's a quote from the French Revolution, where a Doctor Beaurieux spoke to a condemned man:

" "Here then is what I was able to note immediately after the decapitation: the eyelids and lips of the guillotined man worked in irregularly rythmic contractions for about five or six seconds. I waited for several seconds. The spasmodic movements ceased. The face relaxed, the lids half-closed on the eyeballs, leaving only the white of the conjuctiva visible, exactly as in the dying whom we have occasion to see every day... It was then that i called in a strong sharp voice: "Languille!" I then saw the eyelids slowly lift up, without any spasmodic contraction - I insist advisedly on this peculiarity - but with an even movement, quite distinct and normal, such as happens in everyday life, with people awakened or torn from their thoughts. Next, Languille's eyes very definitely fixed themselves on mine and the pupils focused themselves. I was not, then, dealing with a vague dull look without any expression that can be observed any day in dying people to whom one speaks: I was dealing with undeniably living eyes which were looking at me

And from a Dr Dassy:

" Dr. Dassy de LigniÃ¨res is given the head of a murderer three hours after decapitation. He pumps blood from a living dog into the head, and for two seconds the lips and eyelids fluttered. Concludes the doctor:"I affirm that during two seconds the brain thought.""

I mean, it seems intuitive - if cell rot hasn't had time to set in, and oxygenated blood is in the system, it's difficult to imagine biological processes just not happening. Biology is chemistry is physics; there are no special cases. I'm not leaning to believe that where any necrosis has set in that anything is likely to happen, though.


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## CannonFodder (Mar 25, 2013)

SIX said:


> 'Sup.
> Quilava represent.
> 
> 
> ...


And people call those that get their heads flash crygenically frozen crazy.


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## Machine (Mar 25, 2013)

I saw this years ago.

It's pretty cool if you ignore how sad that dog's head looks, lol.


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## Dreaming (Mar 25, 2013)

I've seen something similar before, the Russians did all sorts of batshit insane things with dogs, they even managed to reattach a dog's head to another dog's body... two-headed dogs, now that's a creepy sight


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## lupinealchemist (Mar 25, 2013)

Killing and torturing dogs for science, good for them. I've seen that video before years ago.


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## Namba (Mar 25, 2013)

CannonFodder said:


> This was before any of us were born.  Don't lose your head over this.



Hurrhurrhurr


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## Fernin (Mar 25, 2013)

Another step closer to Ghost in the Shell, conceptually at least.


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## Kit H. Ruppell (Mar 25, 2013)

That was just disgusting.


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## TreacleFox (Mar 25, 2013)

I heard about some people who kept a monkey's brain alive outside its body for a while. Using a EEG machine they could tell the brain was still active and possibly conscious. ;-;


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## Umbra.Exe (Mar 26, 2013)

I had heard of similar experiments before involving head transplants on chimpanzees, I believe. I think a head transplant might be more useful than just not having a body, but either way it's a bit grotesque in my opinion. Interesting, but grotesque.


Like others said, without a body or lungs, life would probably not be very enjoyable, not being able to move or speak. You probably wouldn't be able to eat either...

If the dog was dead before they brought it back to life, it's probably brain-dead/a vegetable by now. Sort of how when you zap a dead frog's leg, it moves... It doesn't mean the animal is really "alive."


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## DrDingo (Mar 26, 2013)

It'd be pretty horrible to be that dog, I guess. I wonder if it would actually starve or of the fluid contains the nutrients it needs.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 26, 2013)

DrDingo said:


> It'd be pretty horrible to be that dog, I guess. I wonder if it would actually starve or of the fluid contains the nutrients it needs.



The blood is being oxygenated by a machine. However without other dissolved nutrients in the bloodstream the head would starve. 
I imagine death by virtue of the severe trauma would strike before this?



TreacleFox said:


> I heard about some people who kept a monkey's  brain alive outside its body for a while. Using a EEG machine they could  tell the brain was still active and possibly conscious. ;-;


It's a whole other level of disturbing isn't it? The idea of consciousness in spite of disembodiment. It's difficult to imagine, which I think is a main reason it is so spine-shivering.


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## TheGr8MC (Mar 26, 2013)

I'm pretty sure I would hate having to live as one of those Futurama heads.  Being able to use my hands, my favorite body parts, is one thing I couldn't live without.  However I do think science is or will be capable of keeping individual body parts alive while severed.  I mean if a chicken can survive without it's head for a week without any medical intervention then imagine what we're capible of when we do intervene.


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## Fallowfox (Mar 26, 2013)

TheGr8MC said:


> I'm pretty sure I would hate having to live as one of those Futurama heads.  Being able to use my hands, my favorite body parts, is one thing I couldn't live without.  However I do think science is or will be capable of keeping individual body parts alive while severed.  I mean if a chicken can survive without it's head for a week without any medical intervention then imagine what we're capible of when we do intervene.



Chickens survive headless in some situations because their brainstem extends down into their neck, below the severed tissue. We could draw analogies with humans surviving damage to their higher brains.


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## Neoi (Mar 26, 2013)

If its real then I feel sorry for the dog, Not being able to live a normal canine life and possibly going through alot of pain, that is if the pain has not turned into numbness. I hope people do not do this now a days.


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## Taralack (Mar 26, 2013)

Guess I shouldn't be surprised that I saw this thread and thought of Game of Thrones.


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## Batty Krueger (Mar 26, 2013)

Neoi said:


> If its real then I feel sorry for the dog, Not being able to live a normal canine life and possibly going through alot of pain, that is if the pain has not turned into numbness. I hope people do not do this now a days.


Theres all kind of sick shit that goes on behind closed doors nowadays.


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## SilverCat (Mar 26, 2013)

You'll find that there was an incredible amount of controversial research like this in the early to mid 1900's all around the world. This video is unsettling, but the fact that this could actually be done is interesting. This makes me wonder what other kind of controversial research like this has been done.


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## Roon Sazi (Mar 26, 2013)

Research like this has saved lives. I get it. This is actually quite interesting. I get that too. But...What. The. Fuck?


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## Fernin (Mar 26, 2013)

d.batty said:


> Theres all kind of sick shit that goes on behind closed doors nowadays.



Progress doesn't happen without a price.


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## Belluavir (Mar 27, 2013)

What's the point of being a dog if you don't have a penis?


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## TigerBeacon (Mar 27, 2013)

Belluavir said:


> What's the point of being a dog if you don't have a penis?



Finally, someone with his priorities in order! I was beginning to doubt you people.


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## CavySpirit (Mar 29, 2013)

I've seen that before and also something about scientists removing a monkey's brain and transplanting it into a different monkey and having it work or something..

Honestly, it disturbs me. If it's not natural then it really shouldn't be done. I personally don't like this kind of science. I'm fine with like, life support machines and medical equipment that help cure illnesses and keep people living even if it's technically not natural, but it's not really far into "playing god" like some scientists do with cloning and such. Cloning and weird science like in that video scares me. I do hope it's a fake, but who knows?

I understand doing expiraments and things to test medical procedures or find cures, but if it has to go as far as to become kinda disturbing like this.. I just think it should be avoided. I like things remaining like.. natural. Just my opinion. Bringing dead things back to life, or keeping an animal's head alive just for research doesn't mean the subject being tested on is happy or not suffering. It's just crazy thinking of the things scientists can do, but some things should just stay in video games and movies and books(they're not scary that way!) c:


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## Zabrina (Mar 30, 2013)

That poor baby...

It almost seems a bit cruel to keep it alive.


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## Machine (Mar 30, 2013)

Belluavir said:


> What's the point of being a dog if you don't have a penis?


Smells like Donnie Darko.


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## Kit H. Ruppell (Mar 30, 2013)

Disagree with someone saying a thousand or more dogs are worth brutalizing to save a single human; get downvoted within a day or so to the point where the comment is hidden. Way to go, people. Way to go.


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## Fernin (Mar 31, 2013)

Kit H. Ruppell said:


> Disagree with someone saying a thousand or more dogs are worth brutalizing to save a single human; get downvoted within a day or so to the point where the comment is hidden. Way to go, people. Way to go.



You know how it is" RAWR DUN HURT THE PRETTY SEXY ANIMALS HUMANS ARE SCUM ALL MEDICAL SCIENCE SHOULD JUST POOF INTO EXISTENCE WITHOUT THE NEED FOR EXPERIMENTATION BAW BAW BAW BAW." Or more or less anyways.


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## Batty Krueger (Mar 31, 2013)

Guys it's fake mkay...

Theres no way the head would move up and down like it does in that video, watch closely.  A head of any kind wouldn't be able to make that kind of movement without being attached to something like a body.

Its a propaganda video to try and scare other country's medical practices.  This never happened and it will never happen.  

This is the equivalent of showing that planet getting blown up by the death star before the cold war.

If any of you idiots believe that this video looks real look closely and you will 
realize its BULLSHIT.


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## TreacleFox (Mar 31, 2013)

d.batty said:


> Guys it's fake mkay...
> 
> Theres no way the head would move up and down like it does in that video, watch closely.  A head of any kind wouldn't be able to make that kind of movement without being attached to something like a body.
> 
> ...



It still has muscles in its neck and jaw which could move it slightly.


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## DrewlyYours (Apr 1, 2013)

That may have been the same doctor that attached the front end of a dog (front legs to the head) to another dog. It lived for a few days but it worked and it was real.


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## True-Stripes (Apr 2, 2013)

Q.Q That Poor Dog it musta been miserable


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## DMAN14 (Apr 21, 2013)

While I find it fascinating and want to look into more, I just can't. If it wasn't a dog, maybe... but I just cant


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## Fallowfox (Apr 21, 2013)

On the subject of transplants in animals, interspecies transplants could fill the entire demand for organ donation if they were made to work.

Pig parts are already treated and used for heart valves and instestinal pieces in human transplant. By stripping an animal organ of its host cells to reveal the collagen scaffold and then reseeding it with the recipient's cells a rejection-free organ could be mass produced on demand.

Currently about 18% of donated kidneys are wasted because of various reasons like not being a good match for any recipients nearby, or that by the time they reach their destination they've pooped out or the person who owned them previously didn't take good care of them.


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## Schwimmwagen (Apr 21, 2013)

DMAN14 said:


> While I find it fascinating and want to look into more, I just can't. If it wasn't a dog, maybe... but I just cant



That's animal racism


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## Fallowfox (Apr 21, 2013)

Gibby said:


> That's animal racism



Specism?

And damn right Gibby; now I'm off to eat some human fried rice.


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