Meet the neurologist who experimented on himself ... twice
Robots? Mind control? A recent story published by Wired’s Daniel Engber has it all, and it’s 100 percent nonfiction.
Engber examined the tale of Phil Kennedy, a neurologist and science fiction author who chose to have invasive surgery performed on his healthy brain in 2014.
Kennedy became a bit of a celebrity in 1998, when he inserted neurotrophic electrodes into the brain of a paralyzed Vietnam veteran named Johnny Ray. Almost two decades later, he was in Belize, getting surgery at a place Engber describes as “a medical tourism clinic that treats chronic pain and spinal disorders and also specializes these days in tummy tucks, nose jobs, manboob reductions, and other medical enhancements.”
Engber left the surgery with three cone electrodes deep in his skull, and he went back to Belize that same year for a second operation. The goal of this one? To have a power coil and radio transceiver connected to wires coming out of his brain.
Engber’s story includes an interview with Kennedy as well as fascinating anecdotes on the history of attempted mind control. Click below for the full story:
Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.