Mysteries of Modern Medicine: The HEAd Anastomosis VENture

Slate Magazine recently produced a short video titled "Who's Ready for a Full Head transplant?" The staff had a lot of fun with this, taking clips appropriately from Frankenstein ("He's alive! He's alive!"), Young Frankenstein (Marty Feldman playing Igor singing I Ain't Got Nobody), The Incredible 2 Head Transplant ("This Brain Wants to Love You, this Brain Wants to Kill You"). Dr. Sergio Canavero is the evil scientist here who even invents his own product, an inorganic polymer glue called "Heads On Glue". In attaching the new head, how could Dr. Canavero possibly get all the nerve connections working properly? With a slight toss of his head and the confident tone exhibited by all great neurosurgeons, he replied that "only few nerve connections need to be correct"!