Robert White’s head transplant research attracted admirers and critics because of both its life-saving potential and its thorny ethical questions. In the book Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher, author and medical historian Brandy Schillace examines White’s motivations and the historical context around the achievements. White’s early years came at the peak of the Cold War and “Space Race,” and before White accomplished his own progress toward head transplants, a Soviet scientist named Vladimir Demikhov made international news with similar experiments on dogs. Since White’s death, the Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero has publicly declared his willingness to perform the surgery—and claimed that it is “technically feasible.” Brandy Schillace has spoken about the significance of the surgery and the arduous research she did while developing the book in an article for WIRED: If You Transplant a Human Head, Does Its Consciousness Follow?

Of all the technologies discussed today as a potential treatment for paralysis, perhaps none have gotten more attention than brain computer interfaces. Neurotechnologist Conor Russomanno recently gave a TED Talk demonstrating this technology. Scientists made enormous strides in 2023. (A Stroke Stole Her Ability to Speak at 30. A.I. Is Helping to Restore It Years Later (NY Times); People Let a Startup Put a Brain Implant in Their Skull—for 15 Minutes (WIRED); Musk's Neuralink to start human trial of brain implant for paralysis patients (Reuters)). As this technology becomes more powerful, some researchers are wondering whether it can augment life for people without paralysis, too.

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