Transplant surgery only began to be developed in the 1970’s, so it is a relatively new technique.

Medical Science

It cannot be disputed that medical science has made tremendous advances in understanding and treating the human body.

Over the past few hundred years, continued research, technology, diagnosis and treatment, coupled with the development of preventative vaccinations, have almost doubled the average human life expectancy.

But medical science cannot claim definitive knowledge in every field, and each discovery or breakthrough gives rise to further questions.

Despite all the amazing medical success stories, if you consider the common everyday illnesses, it becomes clear that much about the human body and its afflictions remain a mystery to medical science. For example, there is still no cure for the common cold, and the cause and cure for many types of headache and migraine are unclear.

Research is ongoing, but is wholly dependent upon funding, which is simply not available for every field of medicine.

Where is Consciousness?

Image Source

Many scientific papers assume that the seat of consciousness - the self, personality or soul - is located in the brain, along with short- and long-term memory.

Evidence is collated by scientific observation of patients, who lose memory or specific personality traits as a consequence of localized brain trauma.

However, more recent studies have observed that neural cells are found not only in the brain, but also in the heart.  In fact, 65% of all heart cells are neural cells. The heart’s function cannot therefore be classified as merely a pump. The heart communicates with the brain and every other major organ in the body biochemically, with the production of the hormone ANF - Atrial Natriuretic Factor.

Potentially, therefore, consciousness could be seated within the heart or any other major organ.

Image Source

Moving Toward Consciousness

Some scientists have proposed a theory of Cell Memory, in which memory and consciousness are stored within every cell in the human body.

Others theorize that consciousness is external to the body, and is seated within the electromagnetic field within and surrounding every human. In this theory, neural cells are merely the transmitter and interpreter for the consciousness.

Transfer of Consciousness Through Organ Transplant

The following cases are only examples. This is not a definitive list, and there are many more documented cases:

1. A former professional dancer, in 1988 Claire Sylvie received a heart and lung transplant after suffering from Primary Pulmonary Hypertension. After the operation, she developed a taste for beer, Snickers bars, green peppers and fried chicken, none of which she had liked prior to the operation. She lost her attraction to men, and her daughter noticed that she had developed a masculine demeanour and walk. She began to have dreams of talking to a tall thin man with sandy coloured hair called Tim, whom she felt close to. After investigation through the hospital administration, she discovered that the heart and lung donor was an 18-year-old man named Tim, who had been killed in a motorcycle accident. After contacting his family, she discovered he’d loved beer, Snickers and fried chicken.
2. 63-year-old William Sheridan, from New York, had a heart transplant operation. After recovering from surgery, Mr. Sheridan developed a passion for art. Prior to the transplant, he had neither interest in nor talent for the subject. As his skills blossomed, he discovered that his heart donor was an artist who had spent his life painting.
3. An eight-year-old girl received a heart from a 10-year-old girl who had been murdered. The transplant recipient began to experience vivid dreams about being murdered. The dreams were so vivid, and her explanations so detailed, that the police were able to arrest and convict the murderer purely upon her evidence.
4. A young man came out of transplant surgery saying, “Everything is copacetic”. His mother said that he had never used the word before. After his transplant, he used the phrase all the time. It was subsequently discovered that the donor and his wife used the word.  It was a private signal between them: after an argument, the word meant that it was time for them to make up. The donor’s wife reported that the couple had had an argument before the accident, and had not yet made up when her husband died.
5. An 18-year-old boy who wrote songs and poetry was killed in a car accident. A year after he died, his parents discovered an audiotape of a song entitled “Danny, My Heart is Yours,” which was about the fact that he was destined to die and give his heart to another. The family discovered that the donated heart recipient was called Danielle. The family contacted Danielle and played her the song. Despite having never heard it before, she was able to sing along.
6. A 29-year-old lesbian, who was a fast food junkie, received a heart from a 19-year-old “man crazy” vegetarian woman. After her operation, she found that she could no longer eat meat, as it made her sick. More strikingly, her sexual orientation completely changed and she became engaged to a man.
7. A seven-month-old baby received a heart from a 16-month-old boy who had drowned. The donor had a mild form of cerebral palsy, mostly on the left side of his body. The recipient, who did not display such symptoms prior to the transplant, developed the same stiffness and shaking on the left side of his body as the donor.
8. Australian girl Demi-Lee Brennan underwent a liver transplant. It was found after the operation that Demi’s blood type had changed to that of the donor, from O- to O+. Medical staff also discovered that her immune system had been almost totally replaced by that of the donor.
9. Cheryl Johnson from Preston, UK, underwent a liver transplant. She had read trashy novels all her life, but after surgery felt compelled to read the classics of such authors as Dostoevsky, and felt that both her personality and intellect had changed considerably following the transplant.
10. In an truly unusual case, Sonny Graham, after receiving a new heart, tracked down the donor’s family and instantly fell in love with the donor’s widow and married her. 12 years later, having shown no signs of unhappiness or depression, Sonny shot himself without warning. Sonny’s donor shot himself under uncannily similar circumstances.
11. Lynda Gammons from Lincolnshire, UK, donated one of her kidneys to her husband Ian. Since the operation, Ian has developed a love of baking, cleaning, shopping and gardening. Prior to the transplant, he loathed all forms of housework.
12. A 56-year-old college professor received a heart from a 36-year-old police officer.  The officer was shot in the face whilst attempting to arrest an unkempt, unshaven drug dealer. After the transplant, the professor was plagued with dreams in which he saw the face of Jesus, followed by a bright flash of light. He would then feel an intense painful burning sensation in his face. When he reported the visions, the professor had no prior knowledge of the donor or how he had died.

Possible Explanations

Any further research in this field must take into account the following points:

• Transplant patients have undoubtedly been through significant trauma, which could encourage them to embrace life and possible re.think their lifestyle, leading to changes in habits and ultimately personality.
• As patients, they will have been prescribed strong pre- and post-operative medication, which could also have a significant effect upon one’s personality.
• Receipt of an organ as a result of another person’s death may cause a conscious or subconscious guilt complex in the recipient, which may lead to a change in outlook or personality.

Continued Research

40-50% of the world’s liver transplant patients are from China, due to pollution and a high incidence of hepatitis in the country. The Chinese Academy of Sciences is currently carrying out extensive research to examine behavioral changes in patients following liver transplants.

Research is also underway at the University of Arizona on a sample of more than 300 transplant patients.

The unexplained phenomenon of transferred memory and consciousness cannot be ignored by the medical community. It offers valuable insight into the existence of human consciousness after death, and may help us find where consciousness is seated in the body.