London hospital plans world's first full face transplant
ARTICLE HERE!
Gustave Le Bon, a french social psychologist, once said: "Science has promised us truth. It has never promised us either peace or happiness." Till this day, this testament has remained true to its words. The wonders of science and its results are only wonders to us because we deem it so, because we see it that way. It is basically our perception that plays the final card in saying whether something fits or not. It is from here that we tell our mind whether we will be happy or not based on the outcome. As such, in the case of incorporating the world's first full face transplant, there are split opinions.
Man has already taken great leaps in advancing himself, and taking another one and planting a new root in history may seem easy enough. But the trouble is that many underestimate the possible problems that may occur from such a transplant should anything go wrong. It would be best for one not do something foolish than to do it in the name of making a name for themsleves and end up ruining it. In this case, considering that this is a world's first, performing such a delicate operation requires its own fair share of extensive research and experiments to ensure that every step and every detail is perfected.
As such, doctors should not attempt to drop the gun by rushing to complete the transplant and earn themselves a name in the Guiness Book of Records. In other words, they should not attmept to rush be the first to do such a transplant without continuing and gaining substantial data. However, some may argue that the time when people dreaded things like operations and surgeries are long gone, thanks to the advancement of technology which leads to the reduction in the number of such operations gone wrong tremendously. Man has acheived success after success in this field that some suggest that it has been almost perfectly mastered. However, one must realise the fact that such a field of practice is still not perfectly mastered, which paves the way for possible areas of problems in the future when they least expect them. As such, they should prepare themselves to be ready for the worst and do their research to substantiate their claims. Otherwise when things go wrong, they will also end up losing the trust of their clients and patients.
At the same time, a handful have welcomed the surgery as a blessing in disguise for them to finally correct their disfigured faces. For them, the end result would give them a new leash on life as they finally can look in the mirror and not be disgusted or saddened by what has happened to them. As an added bonus, their self-esteem would increase and they will feel more confidetn of themselves. For them, this could possibly be the fastest and easiest way out of their dilemma. However, some may think that by opting to go for such a transplant, they might just be luring more trouble along their way. As such, the possibility of the transplant causing more damage than good is quite high, given that this is being carried out for the first time in the world. Even with normal minor transplants, major complications might arise without any precedented expectations. This goes to show the amount of risk involved in such a fine and delicate transplant method. Even so, one must realise that those who decide to go through with such a transplant already know what the possible complications might be. Even if they do not, they have already made the choice to go through with it. The choice is therefore up to them to make, and they will thus have to contend with the end result, whether they like what they see or not.
In conclusion, Man has no doubt proven his worth time and time again. This time, he has done it again with bringing about a full face transplant deemed to be the first of its kind in the world. If all goes well, London will no doubt be under the limelight for its work and will be regarded as having advanced greatly in the field of medical science. But whether that will be become reality is another matter altogether.
posted by H.Prakash @ 2:15 pm
7 comments
7 Comments:
WHAT THE HELL?! NOW WE'RE GOING TO DISCUSS FACE TRANSPLANTS?! this newspaper cutting thing is getting wierder and WIERDER.
well, i guess this would be a great acheivement if it really succeeds. quote: "it is life-saving because it gives them back the chance to join society." well, i guess this is true to a certain extent, people who have met with freak accidents that have damaged their faces very badly would find it hard to walk around the streets without having people glancing at you with faces. i think such an operation would not only give the patient a face back, it'd give him back a life. with a proper face, he'd blend right in back into the surroundings and walk on the streets with confidence and with a smile on his, now perfect, face.
however, i feel that such an operation is not withou risks. what if it fails and further amplifies the damage? causing the person to look worst than michael jackson? such an operation has never been done before. are the potential problems considered? would there be any side effects? if so, how are the side effects going to be countered? quote: "My aim is not to be first, but to do it on the right patient," well, i sure do hope butler means it. fame and fortune is not important here, another person's face is at stake.
i sincerely do hope operations such as this turn out to be feasible and workable. peopl's lives would be back to normal. people would gain their confidence back, they'd have a brand new life. they'd be able to look at the world in a new light. but alas! i think there would still be people who would not be able to afford such operations. i sure do hope that technology such as this would be made available to people all around the world, regardless of race, language or religion.
whoa, but come to think of it, science has seriously come a long way; from plastic surgeory, to implants, to transplants. i do hope such technology would be used correctly and not abused, as in the case of mikey.
Face transplant? Wow. To be able to accomplish a full face transplant would be a great achievement, considering the fact that it has never been done before. However, the elements of risk involved are rather frightening. As mentioned by the article, a full face transplant involves the removal of eight different blood vessels, four arteries and four veins from the donor, and the attachment of those blood vessels that were removed, to the patient’s face by reconnecting the tissue. This sounds very freaky.
Ethically, I think face transplants are rather unethical. But I feel that it is ethical if the face transplant is done by people who need it due to situations like disfiguring injuries etc. I do not agree if full face transplants were given to those who want to look like their idols or the celebrities etc. That would be totally ridiculous. Besides, it is rather unethical and I don’t think people will fancy walking around with the same faces.
Since the full face transplant is done in the name of science, maybe it is good. However, there are consequences to be taken note of. Achieving a successful face transplant would indeed be a breakthrough in science and technology, after doing many years of research on it. Moreover, if a full face transplant can help those in need of it, namely those whose faces have been disfigured in one way or another, I feel that it is for a good cause. After all, if a full face transplant can give those in need a second chance to be themselves when mingling with the society, why not? It would certainly get rid of some of the stares that disfigured people get from the society.
It is extremely crucial that the surgeons get the surgery right though. There will be a lot of trouble that they are going to face if the surgery was to turn out a disaster. Being extremely careful would bring the surgeons success.
It's pretty amazing to know how far is science actually advancing constantly day by day, since we enter a new millennium, the vast frontier of science and technology is rapidly changing and developing every single day.
Articles informs us of successfully separating 2 siamese twins which shares the same heart? I think the risk and danger involves in this kind of operating is probably as high as it's rate of failure.
Now, science shocked us once again with not just a partial face transplant but a FULL-face transplant! I guess science has brought hopes to many of those who are unfortunate to be suffering from many illnesses like from burn marks on faces to genetic defects.
At this rate that we are going, we probably can expect finding a cure for many things in near future since it had come a long way from kidney transplant, to the creation of 'dolly the sheep'.
With science, the possibility of treating more diseases is also feasible. Researchers have come up with plenty of solutions and new medicines to battle new viruses and bacteria. Genetic engineering and the use of pre-implatation genetic diagnosis will soon not be unfamiliar to us. Drugs are also becoming more advanced each day. These all allow us for a longer life span, a disease free community and a healthier living. Therefore, science has been a blessing to man through improving his living conditions.
However we must remember that science had also caused problems for mankind, for example genetic engineering like cloning has been largely misused. People who once believed in the miracles of GMF( genetically modified food) are now suffering as the rice grains produced are not compatitible with the conditions of their country, farmers too find it hard to obtain it due to its high cost.
Therefore, science has brought a large variety of benefits to our human kind but also brought us paradoxic problems as well.
Once again, science has proven itself worthy doing the unimaginable. It has given hope to those who have been disfigured one way or another to have a new face or sorts, to make them look more presentable, finally able to lose those rude stares from public.
Definately, it will be beneficial to those who are seriously in need of a face transplant. Many of such people, face awkward stares and comments from the public when they walk down the streets. If i were in their shoes, i would probably dread going out. Thus, this will certainly be of help to them if successful.
However, there are some who wish to undergo this face transplant for reasons of vanity which i feel should not be allowed as there could only be limited amounts of technology, equpipment and body parts and by using it on them would simply be a waste, and a pity to those who really need it more then them but are unable to get it. It is also unethical to do so as it could go against certain religions and could result in different peoples having same faces.
This full face transplant also has its risks that these surgeons have to bear in event of this really taking place. Should anything go wrong due to the negligence of these surgeons, the price to pay could be immense. The patients faces could be even more disfigured than before. Thus, more should be done to check on the surgeons sincerity in wanting to help these patients; and not just for fame.
Whether it is ethical or not is seriously debatable. Although it is quite clear that those do want full face transplants for other purposes should not get it, some may use underhand means to achieve this. Thus, i feel that the world's first full face transplant should not be rushed into, instead, it should be more carefully thought through and discussed so as to prevent mishaps or unethical happenings.
331words:)
The rate at which medicine and technology is advancing is amazing. There are so many different kinds of treatments for different kinds of illnesses and diseases its simply mind-boggling. Now that we are able to have full face transplants, it's practically a whole new ball game.
Face transplants are seriously a God-sent for those who are in dire need of it. This includes those who have been badly disfigured or have been born with birth defects. But the real problem lies in the people who might potentially abuse it.
As this procedure is relatively new, of course the costs are extremely high. However, over time, with experiences and more advancement in technology, the costs of having such transplants would drop and anybody can probably get one as well. At that time, will we be faced with the same problem we are facing now with plastic surgery? Will anybody off the street decide to go for a face transplant just because he/she has a problem with his facial features and decides to change it? I certainly hope we do not come to that stage.
Some may argue that there will not be enough facial organs to go around for such a thing to happen anyway. However, let's not forget that with technology, anything is possible. In the past, we did not have artificial organs like hearts and lungs but now we do. (read here for more info article here) So who is to say that there will be no artificial facial organs in the future?
I hope that the use of this face transplant is handled in an ethical manner and not become some public menace the way plastic surgery has become. Doctors who have patients seeking such treatment should counsel them and explain to them the importance of such procedures and not let them abuse this breakthrough in medical science.
Anyway, about the point about the doctors wanting to go through with this procedure in a bid to set records and attain fame and fortune, I highly doubt that these doctors are working towards such a goal. I'm pretty confident that they are doing it for the good of mankind and having fame and recognition is probably the bonus of it all. I'm sure they have probably studied and done tons of research on such a procedure before embarking on it. Furthermoe, they must have had the support of other authoritarian figure to give them the green light.
Whether or not this face transplant procedure will help mankind in making the lives better is yet to be known. In the case of Li Guoxing, he is a very fortunate man. However, the true benefits of a face transplant is yet to be known and more studies and research have to be conducted before we can truly know how successful it can be.
Instead, let's appluade the wonders of technology and medical science. Hopefully one day we can find a cure for some of the world's most painful and problematic illnesses.
Cheers to good health and self-esteem!
Now that's what I'm talking about! Surgery for those who really need it! Kudos! :)
I really hope the procedures will always go on smoothly so that many disfigured people can feel more confident of themselves and be accepted by society. Hmm...
Going a bit off track, I realised that many social problems are caused by society. I mean, some people will go "EEEEEE" whenever they see disfigured people. Another fine example will be male society looking for women with "supermodel" looks. Think about it people.
Gustave Le Bon is right. Science is all about the facts. Either it is right or wrong, black or white. In a nutshell, science can prove to be controversial because some are happy with any discoveries made while others find them bad. For example breast enlargement. Some women like the idea of it because they want to feel admired by men. Others, like myself, find the very idea of having silicons in your breasts preposterous.
Melissa got me thinking about the supply of facial features available. Oh, my God! Are they using dead people's parts?! Eew! It's bad enough that hospitals want our organs after we die. Now they want our faces!
Ci Weng mentioned something about blending in with the surroundings. I finally understand things. Going a bit off track again, I guess, people follow trends because they do not want to feel left out and they want to blend in. No use for blames. It's a human thing. We all want to feel accepted. These people with disfigured faces want to feel like they belong to society instead of forming a zoo for the society.
Joyce, you really think deep. It did not cross my mind that surgeons may be doing this for wealth and fame. They will be making things worse for the patients if they fail to carry out the procedures safely. Should that happen, it will only degrade them further.
Well the picture made me feel so sorry for that china guy.
I feel that it is true that man has again and again tired to prove their worth and at the same time create fame for themselves by for example this case, through medical means and research.
However, it is not a bad thing after all. There are a lot of instances whereby people are being disfigured be it by acid or animals and so on. Some lost their hopes in lives. How would you expect them to face up to reality that they had to meet the people around them with such appearance? It is hard. You may have what it takes for a job, but the sight is what exactly turns people off.
In Singapore, there is a woman who has been splashed by acid a few years ago and had her life story been interviewed by the media sometime ago, two years ago I think. It was horrifying, the look, she told the media that even her children took a very long time to accept her again. How heart wrecking it can be? It is not her fault for such misfortune to happen.
In addition to kesh’s article that states about the first transplantation on Isabelle Dinoire. She has lost her nose; both lips and chin after her dog mauled her when she was sleeping. Can anyone feel her misery? Imagine yourself in her shoe, how are you going to withstand this harsh fact that has occurred to you?
Therefore, it is a gift that you present to these unfortunate people through medical means and help by bringing hopes to them for their future. Man may be looked upon as one that cares about fame and therefore want to prove that by bringing in new methods of surgery and ways of curing certain diseases may be of use to up their level of fame. However, there are people living in this world who want to help others and it has been the case for the doctors in this article.
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