When Mary Robbins, 71, passed away on February 9th, she left a $50,000 annuity and her head. Her relatives and a cryogenic company are now fighting over who gets the cash and head in probate. Hopefully, none of the lawyers are working on a one-third contingency arrangement.
In 2006, Robbins signed a contract with Alcor Life Extension Foundation of Scottsdale, Arizona to cryogenically preserve her head and brain and to give the nonprofit foundation a $50,000 annuity to cover preservation costs. However, her daughter, Darlene Robbins, insists that she changed her mind before she died because, in order to be preserved properly, she would have had to had tubes inserted in her throat and nose as well as the administration of various intravenous lines and medications before she died.
Alcor denies that such pre-death procedures are required in its press release:
It has been alleged in news media stories that Alcor requires invasive medical interventions to be performed prior to legal death, including placement of tubes in the nose and throat, and administration of medications. This is incorrect. Alcor requires no such interventions. Alcor does not participate in the medical care of patients, or perform any medical interventions prior to legal death. The objective of Alcor’s procedures is to limit injury to the brain after legal pronouncement of death.
The daughter says that she agreed to sign over the annuity to them.
Alcor insists that it is being reasonable. They only want her head (and the annuity) and the family can keep the body and the memories.
Eric Bentley, an attorney for Alcor, said Mary Robbins didn’t execute a written notice rescinding the 2006 agreement.
For the moment, Robbins’ body is on dry ice at a Colorado Springs mortuary until a court decides who gets her head.
For the full story, click here.
Von Hagen’s volunteer’s may be in some good part Chinese prisoners executed and delivered to the labs doing work in China. I saw a report on the Chinese labs that do this work for Von Hagen and others including companies that plasticize body parts as anatomical models for sale to schools and other collectors and it was very clear from the report that the provenance of the bodies could not be traced. A work order comes in and shortly thereafter fresh bodies show up. Call it a discriminatory impulse on my part but when I hear about stuff like that I just assume the Chinese govt. is executing people for profit.
“Forget it, Jake. It’s China(town).”
http://art-for-a-change.com/blog/2005/01/body-worlds-art-of-plastic-corpses.html
Glad you liked it JT.
Here’s an interesting (spooky) video. It might make you think twice the next time a psychic asks if you want to speak to your dead relative.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEcUTMpyRLY&hl=en_US&fs=1&]
Duh:
The cooler head line is a classic.
Alcor is bound to win. We already know that those with “a cooler full of heads will prevail”. 🙂 Or something like that.
mespo,
Is this photograph a left profile ?
eniobob,
TMI. LOL
AY:
When I caught the show on the tube,they went into how they did this whole process,form corpse to bathing in acetone,the peeling of muscle the posing etc.
eniobob,
I have seen the ads for that. I did not go it is presently at the Dallas Market Place West End. I still don’t think I am going.
Link: http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/dallas/
AY:
In Germany, Plasticized Corpse Exhibit Proves Shocking but Educational
By EDMUND L. ANDREWS
April 03, 2001, Shul.org
MANNHEIM, Germany — Until recently, this mid-sized industrial city wasn’t known for much more than its ice-hockey team. But that was before the Runner, the Muscleman and the Expanded Body.
The three are among the displays at “Human Body World,” an exhibition on human anatomy at Mannheim’s Museum of Technology and Work. The life-sized figures are posed in familiar human activities like running, standing or sitting, but unlike the specimens at a conventional science museum, the Runner and his numerous colleagues are real human corpses. Preserved through a process called “plastination,” the bodies, donated by volunteers, have been transformed into what the inventor of the process calls “anatomical artwork.”
http://www.beachbrowser.com/Archives/eVoid/April-2001/Plasticized-Corpse-Exhibit.htm
See Ted Williams. Ted Williams’ frozen head for batting practice at cryogenics lab: book
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/10/02/2009-10-02_book_reveals_chilling_details_of_how_cryonic_lab_thumped_remains_of_baseball_imm.html
Not to say that this will happen, but…..