Inverse forensic science

I was delighted to read this week that the frozen body of Walt Disney was successfully revived (cf: J Inv Forensic Sci 2010 Mar;55(2-6)). Many of you know that when the great animation pioneer passed away on December 15, 1966, cryogenic technology was used to preserve his body in a state of latent animation. A novel slow-freeze process was employed, with the highly respected cryogenic specialists Drs. Joseph Plateau and Pierre Desvignes flown in from Paris to oversee the operation.

At the time this was considered a major breakthrough in inverse forensic science, the first such method in which the cells were prevented from crystalizing. It is generally believed that unwanted crystalization during cryogenic preservation causes massive rupture at the cellular level, thereby diminishing the chances of a patient’s eventual revival to nil.

Fortunately, Mr. Disney, or “Patient WD” as he was referred to in (J Inv Forensic Sci 1967 Apr;12(3-7)), was the first recipient of this highly controversial new method of cryogenic preservation, originally developed by Drs. Thomas and Johnston of the renowned Buena Vista Institute. The process involved a novel technique in which the patient was transferred to a state of “Cryogenic electrolytic latency” (Cel). The underlying rationale at the time was that as technology developed further, scientists would eventually develop effective methods of reversing this process.

That time has apparently arrived. In a breakthrough that has thrilled inverse forensic scientists everywhere, Patient WD was successfully revived last month at the Buena Vista Regional Medical Center, through a technique that chief attending physician Dr. Stuart Blackton is calling “Cel re-animation” (Dr. Blackton, the first physician board certified to perform such an operation, drew on techniques originally developed for his well known HPFF phase protocol). Mr. Disney is reportedly recovering with family.

Dr. Felix Messmer of the Max Planck Institute — whose groundbreaking theoretical work led to the invention of the CAT scan — was willing to speak on the record about the implications of the recent operation. “In the years since Mr. Disney’s departure, we have developed highly advanced methods of 3D visualization — techniques that would have been inconceivable back in 1966. And yet, as today’s results clearly reveal, it is never too late for Cel animation.”