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From: tale@pawl5.pawl.rpi.edu (David C Lawrence)
Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.bio,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Brain unnecessary?
Summary: Sounds iffy
Keywords: brain
Message-ID: <361@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU>
Date: 15 Feb 88 00:43:42 GMT
References: <955@radio.toronto.edu>
Sender: news@imagine.PAWL.RPI.EDU
Reply-To: tale@pawl.rpi.edu (David C Lawrence)
Organization: RPI Public Access Workstation Lab - Troy, NY
Lines: 23

I was always led to believe that what was the final cause of death for
all animals was hypoxemia (sp?), or lack of blood to the brain.
Which implies that you need th brain, with a good working supply of
blood, to survive.

But I suppose it is possible, and believable enough to me, that if you
so configured a human being with a vast network of machines which could
regulate the other processes necessary for sustained life (breathing to
oxidize blood, beating heart to circulate blood, working watse-removal
system, et al) then it would be possible for that human being to live
without a brain.
 
But there isn't much point to it.
 
And it sure wouldn't be a heck of a life.

				   *!*
 "Those who find they have nothing to go out of their way for soon find they
    have nothing at all."  -- Tale Laslingis, during the Fourth History.
 
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