为什么我们不能移植大脑？：英语精读讲义

Two days before Christmas Day in 1954,

1954年圣诞节的前两天，

the first organ transplant was achieved when a kidney was transplanted from a man called Ronald Herrick into his identical twin Richard at a hospital in Boston. 語法

波士顿一家医院成功进行了首例器官移植，将罗纳德·赫里克的肾脏移植给了他的同卵双胞胎兄弟理查德。

In 1963,

1963年，

the first human lung transplant was performed at the University of Mississippi.

密西西比大学进行了首例人类肺移植手术。

The liver transplant came next in 1967, 短語搭配

紧接着是1967年的肝脏移植，

also in the US,

同样在美国，

and that same year a heart was transplanted

同年，一例心脏移植手术在

at a hospital in Cape Town,

开普敦的一家医院进行，

South Africa.

位于南非。

We can now transplant other organs such as pancreas,

现在我们可以移植胰腺、

intestine, and thymus

肠道和胸腺等其他器官，

with the kidneys, liver, and heart 語法

其中肾脏、肝脏和心脏

being the most frequently transplanted organs.

是最常被移植的器官。

Tissues can also be transplanted

组织同样可以被移植，

and right now scientists are even working on ways to 3D print human tissue. 短語搭配

而现在科学家们甚至在研究如何3D打印人类组织。

But there's one thing humans haven't cracked 用詞

但有一件事人类还没能攻克，

and that's the organ that makes us more us than any other. 習語

那就是那个比任何器官都更能定义我们自身的器官。

Today we'll find out why.

今天我们将揭晓原因。

In this episode of The Infographics Show,

在本期《The Infographics Show》中，

why can't we transplant brains?

为什么我们不能移植大脑？

Don't forget to subscribe and click the bell button

别忘了订阅并点击小铃铛按钮，

so that you can be part of our notification squad.

这样你就能加入我们的通知小分队。

First of all, 表達脈絡

首先，

we should look at what the brain actually does.

我们应该看看大脑到底是做什么的。

This thing inside our skulls that weighs on average about 3.3 lb

这个位于我们头骨内、平均重约3.3磅的东西，

is larger in humans than any other vertebrate

在人类身上的比例比任何其他脊椎动物都要大

when compared to body weight. 短語搭配

（与体重相比）。

That's why we are so brainy.

这就是为什么我们如此聪明。

The busy brain is our command center for our nervous system, 習語

忙碌的大脑是我们神经系统的指挥中心，

which takes in data from our body 短語動詞

它从我们的身体接收数据，

and gives directions to our muscles.

并向我们的肌肉下达指令。

In fact,

事实上，

it does so much work it requires about 20%

它的工作量非常大，需要消耗我们大约20%

of our energy to run it.

的能量来运转。

When we are brain dead, 用詞

当我们脑死亡时，

we no longer have any neurological activity.

我们就不再有任何神经活动。

With the help of machines,

在机器的帮助下，

we can be kept alive for a short time,

我们可以被维持生命一小段时间，

but within a week the body will not be able to function.

但在不到一周内，身体将无法继续运作。

While we may still be alive in some sense for that week, 語法

虽然在那一周里，从某种意义上说我们可能还活着，

we are technically dead when the brain is dead.

但当大脑死亡时，我们在技术上就已经死亡了。

Some good news is that during the time we are kept alive,

一个好消息是，在我们的生命被维持期间，

some of our other organs can be donated.

我们的其他一些器官可以被捐献。

But why can't we accept someone else's brain?

但为什么我们不能接受别人的大脑呢？

When we transplant something such as a heart,

当我们进行心脏等移植手术时，

surgeons use a mechanical pump to keep blood flowing through the body 語法

外科医生会使用机械泵来保持血液在体内流动，

while the new heart is being put in. 語法

与此同时植入新的心脏。

The new heart is then connected to the major blood vessels

随后将新的心脏与主要血管连接起来，

and this might take several hours.

这可能需要几个小时。

You'll stay in the hospital for 1 to 2 weeks

你将在医院住院1到2周，

and if your body doesn't reject its new heart,

如果你的身体不排斥新心脏，

it's said 87 out of 100 people will make it through the year 習語

据说100人中有87人能撑过这一年，

and 60 out of 100 get through another decade.

并且100人中有60人能活过下一个十年。

So wouldn't it just be possible to open the skull 語法

那么，难道不能直接打开头骨，

and connect a new brain where the removed brain was connected?

在切除大脑的位置连接上一个新的大脑吗？

This question was asked to a professor of neurosurgery at Yale in 2013.

2013年，这个问题被抛给了耶鲁大学的一位神经外科教授。

He actually did say that one day this operation might be successful, 語法

他确实说过，也许有一天这种手术能成功，

but right now we are not even close. 短語搭配

但现在我们还差得很远。

The reason is because it's just too darn difficult to connect nerve fibers 講解

原因在于，将神经纤维

from the new brain to the native spinal cord. 用詞

从新大脑连接到原来的脊髓实在是太难了。

This, he said,

他说，这正是

is why spinal cord injuries can be so devastating.

脊髓损伤具有如此破坏性的原因。

If we could transplant brains, 語法

如果我们可以移植大脑，

we would likely not have so many people that are disabled due to spinal injuries.

我们可能就不会有那么多因脊髓损伤而残疾的人了。

Another professor of neurosurgery,

另一位神经外科教授

speaking in the same article,

在同一篇文章中表示，

said that what might be more feasible is a whole body transplant, 語法

更可行的也许是全身移植，

which means a healthy brain being given a new body,

即给一个健康的大脑换上一个新的身体，

which could be natural or artificial.

身体可以是自然的或人造的。

We dug a little deeper and found that indeed 習語

我们进一步挖掘后发现，确实

some fairly amazing transplants have been done with brains or heads.

已经进行过一些涉及大脑或头部的相当惊人的移植手术。

In the 1950s, Russian scientist Vladimir Demikhov

在20世纪50年代，俄罗斯科学家弗拉基米尔·德米霍夫

created what has been called Frankenstein's dog 語法

创造了被称为“科学怪狗”的生物，

when he transplanted the head of one dog onto another,

当时他将一只狗的头部移植到另一只狗身上，

giving it two heads. 語法

使其拥有了两个头。

Later, American scientist Robert White

后来，美国科学家罗伯特·怀特

controversially transplanted the head of monkeys

备受争议地将猴子的头部

from one to another,

从一只移植到了另一只身上，

but the monkey was paralyzed as its spinal cord had been severed 語法

但这只猴子因脊髓被切断而瘫痪，

and it died in a few days.

并在几天后死亡。

Basically,

基本上，

you can transplant a brain or a head,

你可以移植大脑或头部，

but doing it successfully is going to be a problem. 語法

但要成功做到这一点却是个大难题。

She believes that we won't even go there 習語

她认为我们甚至不会涉足这个领域，

because it is just too gruesome and the public won't like it.

因为这太令人毛骨悚然了，而且公众也不会喜欢。

Everyone seems to come to the same conclusion 短語搭配

似乎每个人都得出了相同的结论，

and that if you sever the nerves in the central nervous system,

那就是如果你切断了中枢神经系统中的神经，

the transplanted brain could not be reconnected.

移植的大脑将无法重新连接。

All the neurosurgeons out there seem to agree

所有的神经外科医生似乎都一致认为，

that we just do not have anything near the technology 短語搭配

我们的技术还远远达不到

to reattach the brain's veins and cranial nerves,

重新连接大脑静脉和脑神经、

the spinal cord, and the four major arteries.

脊髓以及四条主要动脉的水平。

One particular scientist paints a very bleak picture 習語

一位科学家描绘了一幅非常惨淡的图景：

wherein we successfully attached a brain to the arteries and veins.

假设我们成功地将大脑与动脉和静脉连接了起来。

You'd be thinking,

你可能会有意识在思考，

but according to him,

但根据他的说法，

you'd have a person in utter sensory isolation and paralysis,

你将变成一个完全感官隔离和瘫痪的人，

locked-in syndrome, 文化背景

陷入闭锁综合征，

only worse.

甚至更糟。

He believed a full head transplant would be easier.

他认为完整的头部移植会更容易些。

By the way,

顺便说一句，

you might have read that an Italian neurosurgeon called Sergio Canavero performed a head transplant recently,

你可能读过新闻说一位名叫塞尔吉奥·卡纳维罗的意大利神经外科医生最近进行了一项头部移植手术，

but that transplant wasn't on living people,

但那次移植并不是在活人身上进行的，

it was on corpses.

而是针对尸体。

We are not LEGO. 習語

我们不是乐高玩具。

Just sticking things together doesn't mean they work with us humans. 語法

仅仅把部件拼在一起并不意味着在人类身上就能起作用。

For the most part, 表達脈絡

在很大程度上，

the great head transplant story is now being received as fake news.

那个轰动的换头故事现在被当成了假新闻。

So, with billions of neurons

所以，大脑皮层中拥有数十亿个神经元，

each with trillions of synapses in the cerebral cortex,

每一个都有数万亿个突触，

we can't really just expect to hook a new brain up to another body. 短語動詞

我们实在不能指望简单地把一个新的大脑连接到另一个身体上。

But never say never. 習語

但凡事无绝对。

While brain transplants might sound like science fiction, 短語搭配

尽管大脑移植听起来像科幻小说，

what might happen if we did successfully manage to rewire a brain in another body? 短語搭配

如果我们真的成功地将大脑在另一个身体中重新连接，会发生什么呢？

No one really knows,

没人真正知道，

but there is a lot of speculation out there.

但外界存在着大量的猜测。

It seems some people agree you'd just be you in another body.

似乎有些人同意你会变成在另一个身体里的你。

By that,

也就是说，

you'd be the brain in another body

你将是另一个身体里的大脑，

and the person whose brain was removed,

而那个被切除大脑的人，

while looking like the survivor, 語法

虽然看起来像幸存者，

would in fact be the person who had gone.

实际上已经是离世的人了。

The brain rules. 用詞

大脑主导一切。

Another thing people talk about is the fact that brains grow with bodies in tune. 習語

人们讨论的另一件事是，大脑与身体是协调成长的。

So if one brain was put in another body,

因此，如果把一个大脑放入另一个身体，

things might not just run like clockwork. 習語

一切可能不会像上发条那样顺利运转。

It could produce a kind of trauma,

这可能会产生一种创伤，

even if all the right bits were connected.

即使所有正确的部位都被连接起来了。

And that could only happen if the huge doses of immunosuppressants 用詞

而且只有在服用大剂量免疫抑制剂，

could ensure the immune system doesn't attack the new brain or head.

能够确保免疫系统不会攻击新大脑或头部的情况下，这才能发生。

Even if you did do that, 語法

即使你做到了这一点，

one scientist said this year that by putting a new chemical environment 語法

一位科学家今年表示，将具有新神经输入的大脑置于

with new neurological input would just lead to a very mentally messed up Frankenstein. 用詞

全新化学环境中，只会导致一个精神极度紊乱的“科学怪人”。

We'd have no continuity and might end up feeling like Mary Shelley's creation, 講解

我们将失去连续性，最后可能感觉就像玛丽·雪莱笔下的造物，

who once asked,

他曾经问道，

"Was I then a monster,

“难道我是一个怪物，

a blot upon the earth from which all men fled 講解

一个让所有人都避之不及、

and whom all men disowned?"

被所有人抛弃的地球污点吗？”

In conclusion, 表達脈絡

总而言之，

we are not even close to brain transplants or head transplants.

我们距离大脑移植或头部移植还差得很远。

We are not sure how they could be done successfully

我们不确定如何才能成功进行，

and we are very afraid of trying.

并且对于尝试感到非常害怕。

What do you think about the idea?

你对这个想法有什么看法？

Let us know in the comments.

在评论区告诉我们吧。

Also, be sure to check out our other video called

同时，请务必去看看我们的另一部视频，名为

Worst Prison Experiments conducted on humans.

《最糟糕的人类监狱实验》。

Thanks for watching and as always,

感谢观看，一如既往地，

don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

别忘了点赞、分享和订阅。

See you next time.

我们下次见。