The Heads of Professor White. The Incredible Story of the Neurosurgeon Who Attempted to Transplant a Human Head

This book tells the story of an incredibly ambitious endeavor – the first attempts in history to transplant a human head. Medical historian Brandi Skilaches writes about how the experiments of transplantologists laid the foundation for technologies that continue to save lives today. In the mid-twentieth century, the Soviet Union and the USA not only competed in space and military technologies but also battled for supremacy in the field of transplantation. The work of scientists from both countries spurred unprecedented development in medical technologies. At the center of the narrative is the astonishing fate of neurosurgeon Robert Joseph White, who performed head transplantation surgeries on animals, befriended two popes, established the Vatican bioethics commission, and was nominated for the Nobel Prize for his brain cooling method, which still aids in successfully conducting the most complex surgeries. This is a story about the long journey from science fiction to scientific fact, about the conflict between scientists and animal rights advocates, and about a society that was unprepared for such discoveries, touching on our great fears and great hopes.