Ethical issues of experimental surgery: «head transplant» case

The article discusses a number of fundamental anthropological and ethical problems of experimental surgery which arise in moral assessment of the surgent S. Canavero “head transplantation” project. It is noted that the project is based on the assumption (contested by the modern neuroscience) that human consciousness is exclusively a function of its brain. Therefore, it is presumed that the “head transplantion” would not change the recipient’s identity and self-consciousness. For the moral assessment of S. Canavero’s project, a standard set of bioethical principles for evaluation of medical innovations was used: the principle of beneficence and non-maleficence (do no harm!); the principle of autonomy; the principle of human dignity; the principle of justice. The article also discusses the phenomenon of “theatricalization of medicine”, expressed in the aggressive way in which S. Canavero uses media to promote his project. A conclusion is made about the fundamental importance of professional ethical expertise for the evaluation of innovative projects in experimental surgery.