One of the worst transplant experiments was carried out by Vladimir Demikhov. In 1954, the public got acquainted with his creation - a two-headed dog. The head and front legs of a small dog were sewn to the body of an adult shepherd. From the outside, everything looked horrific and unnatural. It was noticed that the little dog did not have its own stomach, since when trying to drink milk, droplets from the chopped part flowed out. Also, the dogs could not get along together and tried to get rid of each other.
What prompted the scientist to go on such an experiment?
The “Two-headed Dog” experiment is transplantology in practice. The term was derived by Demikhov himself and tried to reveal its essence to the world. The need for this innovation was, as the human body tends to fade away, and some organs do it much faster. Transplanting an organ or part of a body to a person in order to return him to his previous state is by no means an extra procedure.
Underdeveloped medicine at that time in the Soviet space, medicine could not give such a term, which is why the scientist did it. The validity of the procedure was almost proved at that time in the Demikhov experiment "A dog with two heads."
Vladimir Petrovich Demikhov
The future surgeon is a native of Russia, Kuliki farm. His mother, Domnika Aleksandrovna, although she was raising three children without a father, still tried to do everything possible for them. That is why all three had higher education.
Initially, a man comprehended the basics of the profession of a repairman in FZU. Later Demikhov studied at Moscow State University at the Faculty of Biology. He was attracted to this side of life, so he began his activities early. His interest in science was fascinating, since, as a student, Demikhov had already designed a heart implant for a dog, which, unfortunately, only lasted a couple of hours with it.
The Second World War delayed its development in the field of science.
After her graduation, Demikhov began working at the Institute of Experimental and Clinical Surgery, where he performed unlike other operations.
A year after the war, Vladimir Petrovich realized an unprecedented: he was able to transplant the cardiopulmonary complex. The discovery was sensational. He also experimented with liver replacement.
When the donated heart began to work for the dog transplanted, it turned the minds of the then minds over, because the procedure proved the possibility of replacing the heart with man.
Later he worked very productively at the Institute of Emergency Medicine. Sklifosovsky, where he was able to defend a candidate and doctoral dissertation. It was there that a series of experiments called "The Dog with Two Heads" were conducted, which were able to provide the basis for the development of transplantology.
In 1998, an honorary scientist who won many prizes died. In honor of him, a monument was erected in Moscow in the new building of the research institute.
The essence of the experiment
For the operation, stray dogs were chosen - one small and the other large. The latter was the main one, and the small dog played the role of a secondary head. Her entire lower body was removed, leaving only her paws, neck and head itself. A cut was made on the neck of a large dog, where another head was later sewn. The vertebrae of the dogs were fastened with special strings so that they moved as a single organism.
The most successful operations lasted no more than 3.5 hours. All procedures read about 24. The final for all organisms was disappointing - a dog with two heads perished. The longest life of dogs is 29 days, and for Demikhov it was a significant breakthrough.
In the photo, a dog with two heads looks promising, but too frightening. This experience will seem cruel to many people, but such is the difficult fate of developing medicine. Moreover, there were other cases of transplantation and transplantation, which frightened even more, but did not bring anything significant. Demikhov provided a number of results that are useful for humanity, which are used today.
Two-headed dog: mythology
In the mythology of ancient Greece, there is a story about a certain monster Orphe. It was generated by Typhon and Echidna, according to some sources, while others say that his mother is Chimera.
Orff looks like a terrible creature with two dog heads and a snake instead of a tail. He is clearly described in the 10 feat of Hercules. The dog with two heads acted as the protector of wonderful "red bulls".
Creation, judging by the descriptions and statements, most likely existed before the Hellenistic period and was important for people.
Experiment results
These experiments spurred the subsequent development of transplantology and medicine as a whole. An unprecedented event helped to develop a special system for the replacement of organs, in particular, the heart.
Today, thanks to the research of Vladimir Demikhov, many doctors reach new heights. Neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero, studying the data, says that soon a brain transplant procedure will become commonplace. It is estimated that everything will happen in China. Such a discovery will help save the lives of many people.
Some doctors are skeptical not only of possible innovations in medicine, but also of Demikhov’s activities.
If you look at everything objectively, then the incredible contribution to Russian and world science by Vladimir Petrovich is impossible to ignore.
Were there any analogues in the history of this experiment?
A head transplant is an operation that has already been performed before Demikhov. In 1908, a French surgeon Alexis Carrell, together with physiologist from America Charles Guthrie, attempted a similar operation. A dog with two heads is the result that it seemed to achieve. Unfortunately, this did not happen. The creature showed signs of life, but soon underwent an euthanasia, as it degraded.
Also, the method was used to carry out the procedure with monkeys. The idea appeared in 1970 with the scientist Robert White. When one animal was deprived of its head, scientists provided a constant flow of blood to the brain so that it would not die. As a result, the operation was successful, but the monkeys were able to live only a few days.
In 2000, the Japanese tried to make their contribution to transplantology. The procedure was performed on rats. Little is known about the results, but it is reported that the spinal cord was successfully connected due to lower temperatures.