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[J Ssemakula]

Spare parts Question

 

How many organs can be removed from the human body before it stops functioning well ­ in other words, without the assistance of medical devices? I know we can live with one kidney, half a brain, no gall bladder, no tonsils, no appendix. Any more?

Jason McAllister , Sunbury, Victoria, Australia Answers

There are quite a few more bits and pieces that you can do without. You can live with only one-third of a kidney and a third of your liver, provided these remain healthy. And, depending on how well they function, less than half of your lung capacity should be enough for you to continue to breathe successfully. One-tenth of your pancreas should supply you with enough insulin and you can part with your stomach, although that would cause some level of dyspepsia. A large portion of the small intestine and the whole of the large intestine and anus can go.

If you are an adult, you can say goodbye to your spleen without any dire consequences. You can live without your urinary bladder. Your limbs are not necessary, while teeth, tongue, eyes, nose, ears, breasts and many of your veins and some arteries can go too.

And if you don't mind being reliant on drugs, you could do without your thyroid gland, the whole of your pancreas, adrenal glands and parathyroid glands.

Jan Strojil , Olomouc, Czech Republic

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Assuming the end product of the removal of the various body parts is a person of relatively normal appearance while wearing clothes, and retaining the use of some limbs and senses, but allowing for medication, then our victim may lose toes, the large bowel and most of the small bowel, ending with an ileostomy (why bother to stop at the appendix?).

The person in question can also lose one kidney and the bladder with a urostomy. Waste water can still be passed. All the external and internal genitalia can be removed, as can the spleen, the pancreas, most of the liver and gall bladder, at least one lung and possibly a lobe from the other, the larynx with a tracheostomy, one eye, both external and one internal ear, teeth and hair.

We could niggle about how many fingers a person might need, but to lose a thumb is very disabling. And "half the brain" is doubtful ­ people may develop with much of their brain missing, but to have a significant part of it removed always incurs some loss of function.

This person will need to use insulin, pancreatic enzymes, other diet supplements and antibiotics. With a greater reliance on disability aids, then it is quite possible to survive hemicorporectomy (amputation at the waist), amputation of the arms, and loss of the other eye and the internal ears. Obviously quality of life begins to become an issue at this point.

John Davies , Lancaster, UK

 

There is one body part that is positively beneficial if removed ­ the foreskin.

 

Guy Cox , University of Sydney, Australia

http://www.newscientist.com/lastword/article.jsp?id=lw1057

 

 

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