Abstract

Medical research is something that has been conducted since the beginning of time.  There have been many developments that have improved peoples living conditions.  From the development of medicines to cure illnesses to searching for the fountain of youth, people have been trying to find ways to extend how long they can live.  Humans have discovered how to replace limbs and other various organs.  Things have developed to the point where even head transplants are going to be attempted.  The medical research starting from the Stone Age, Bible and moving to Greek, Roman, and Asian Mythologies has driven the doctors over the years to question illnesses and other medical problems.  These various beliefs have done one thing that makes them common.  They have all made doctors question the possibility of achieving Immortality.  There have been many true discoveries, as well as many ideas that were made up to make money.

Keywords: Life extension, Transplants, cure illness, Immortality

Medical Research and Life Extension

Immortality through medical research is an unreachable yet productive goal.  People have been studying medicine since the beginning of human existence.  In the Stone Age, it has been discovered that they started developing ways to cure certain injuries and illnesses.  As explained in an article about the Stone Age, one procedure has existed and was used for thousands of years.  “Trepanation, the removal of bone from the skull, is the most ancient surgical technique known. Archeologists have found trepanned skulls dating from the late Neolithic, some 5,000 years ago. Now a team of French and German researchers has suggested that the procedure goes back even further, to at least 7,000 years ago.” (Unknown, September 01, 1997)  This has led to the studies of being able to transplant organs as well as various limbs to help extend life.

The search for what was called the Fountain of Youth was one of the searches for a way to extend human life.  This life extension has come to be known as Immortality.  The idea of Immortality has been around since the belief in the Bible, the various Mythologies that exist and other stories people have created (i.e., Dracula, Vampires, Wear wolves, etc.).  The travels of Juan Ponce de León in search of the Fountain of Youth, the crusades in search for the Holy Grail led by King Arthur are just two of the many searches for immortality.  One mythology teaches about the birth of Hercules, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. This was the first time Immortality was given to humans.

The Bible has recorded ages as old as 900 to 1000 years.  This long life is part of what people hope to achieve.  These quests have led to many discoveries that may not have provided Immortality, but have given a chance to give people longer lives.  People have been also studying on how to clone themselves to possibly cure illnesses that they have.  This would hope to become the solution to diseases.

Historical Timeline and Predecessor Assessment

The search for Immortality started with an item called the Spear of Destiny.  It is the spear that pierced Jesus’ side while he was hanging on the cross.  It is believed by some to provide the cure for diseases and in turn give Immortality to the one that possesses it.  There are many churches that claim to have this biblical Item in their possession.  After this item comes the search for the Holy Grail in a campaign called the Crusades.  This was led by King Arthur, who according to legend believed he was on a mission from God to retrieve this artifact.

Jumping a couple hundred years later, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon believed in the Fountain of Youth, which was believed to have water that provided immortality.  The one thing these three events all have in common is they caused doctors to explore the possibilities of extending life.  This has raised the hope of achieving the overall goal.  To this day, the achievement of immortality has still eluded doctors and has continued to prove to be an impossible goal to reach.

Assessment

The beliefs of people over the years, has caused doctors to question what is possible to achieve.  There have been many studies and tests conducted, along with many theories tested to find what can be achieved.  The closest thing to achieving immortality to this day is the Russian doctors that believe to have found a way to transplant a human head.

There are things that appear to be possible, but in reality are not things that are meant to be achieved. The searches for immortality have resulted in the downfall of the people that have been looking for the artifacts.  Belief in these artifacts brought about ideas on creating replacement limbs, or even replacing organs in a human.  Without these theories, doctors may not have even attempted to find out how the human body works.  This in turn means that there is a chance that the human DNA may not have even been figured out.