Italian Surgeon Says We’re Two Years Away From Human Head Transplants

One of the major flaws of mankind is our inability to perform head transplants. But that could soon change, according to one optimistic Italian surgeon.

Sergio Canavero, a doctor in Turin, Italy, has drawn up the plans for the radical surgery and hopes to begin assembling a team this June,the Guardian reports.

“If society doesn’t want it, I won’t do it. But if people don’t want it, in the U.S. or Europe, that doesn’t mean it won’t be done somewhere else,” he said. “I’m trying to go about this the right way, but before going to the moon, you want to make sure people will follow you.”

Canavero believes this procedure could happen within the next two years.

He admits, however, that there may be some ethical issues involved with such Frankensteinian behavior so I guess he does have his own head on straight after all.

The Time writeup of the news ends with one of the more perplexing paragraphs I’ve ever read.

The first successful head transplant was completed in 1970 on a monkey. The monkey couldn’t move its body and died after nine days.

Look, I’m not doctor or primate expert, but that doesn’t exactly jive with my definition of successful. Not exactly a great result if you ask me.

[H/T: Time]