Transplanting a head onto a new body or its functioning outside the body using artificial organs is now perceived as science fiction. However, in the USSR, back in the 1940s, scientists conducted experiments aimed at studying the possibilities of maintaining artificial blood circulation, and life in general, using special medical devices. True, the experiments were not conducted on people, but on dogs. And what is most interesting, they were successful. The researchers achieved results that shocked the entire world at that time. The experiments may seem cruel, but thanks to them, humanity also got an artificial blood circulation machine.
The first artificial blood circulation apparatus in history
The author of the experiments in question was a Soviet physiologist, doctor of medical sciences, employee of the Moscow Institute of Experimental Physiology and Therapy, Sergei Sergeevich Bryukhonenko. Eyewitnesses described him as an obsessive workaholic who spent days and nights in the laboratory from the 20s to the end of the 50s of the last century.
The scientist studied blood transfusion issues, as a result of which he created an artificial blood circulation apparatus, and also made a number of discoveries in this area. However, these achievements were not enough for Sergei Sergeevich Bryukhonenko. Like Bulgakov's professor Preobrazhensky, he wanted to achieve something beyond the possible.
As a result, the scientist began to conduct experiments not only on maintaining artificial blood circulation, but also life with the help of artificial organs, that is, mechanical medical devices. According to eyewitnesses, Sergei Bryukhonenko's laboratory at that time looked so that an unprepared guest could faint, since there were dismembered bodies and severed heads of animals everywhere.
Ultimately, Bryukhonenko set himself the goal of creating a fully functional artificial blood circulation device that would replace not only the heart, but also the lungs. Currently, such devices are used in cardiac surgery, they are indispensable in heart transplants and other complex operations.
As a result, the device was first demonstrated in 1925. It contained automatic pumps, a reservoir for storing blood, and tubes for pumping and pumping blood. All that remained was to study the capabilities of this device.
How the dog's head lived without a body
Currently, scientists conduct all their experiments on rodents – rats and mice. However, in those days, scientists were not limited in terms of the choice of animals, and often conducted experiments on dogs, following the example of Ivan Petrovich Pavlov – a Russian and Soviet scientist, physiologist.
Ivan Petrovich Pavlov in his works introduced the division of reflexes into unconditional, which are innate, and conditional, which are acquired during life. Pavlov conducted his experiments on dogs and proved that they can be taught to respond to certain stimuli. For example, every time the dog was given food, the scientist turned on the bell. After some time, the dog began to salivate not only at the sight of food, but also at the sound of the bell.
Bryukhonenko tried to keep various organs of dogs alive and functioning by connecting them to his apparatus. At the same time, the apparatus itself was constantly being modified and became more sophisticated. The experiments were ultimately successful – the dogs' hearts beat outside the body, the lungs consumed oxygen and exhaled carbon dioxide.
At some point, the scientist decided to conduct an experiment with a dog's head. As a result, Sergei Sergeyevich Bryukhonenko's team managed not only to keep the head alive, but also conscious, like “Professor Dowell's head.” It responded to various impulses, for example, the pupils narrowed in response to light, and the ears twitched from a sharp sound. Moreover, the tongue licked the nose, as dogs often do. When the scientists brought a treat to the mouth, it opened. Obviously, the dog would have eaten it, but it would have immediately fallen out of the cut neck.
Reviving a dog from the dead
The scientists did not stop at the “head of Professor Dowell” and decided to revive dogs from the dead. First, they pumped blood out of it, as a result of which the dog died. After 10 minutes, the dog was connected to the artificial blood circulation system, and it came back to life. As the researchers themselves reported, the animal continued to live and died of old age.
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However, many scientists doubted that the dog continued to live as if nothing had happened. After 10 minutes of death, his brain should have been damaged. Judging by the laboratory records, the dog actually lived for a few days. However, recently scientists have found evidence that the brain can actually restore blood circulation and certain molecular and cellular activity several hours after the cessation of blood circulation. Therefore, theoretically, the dog really could not only come back to life, but also live for a long time.