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Abstract
The principal focus of this paper is to consider the implications of head and neck transplantation surgery on the issue of personal identity. To this end, it is noted that the immune system has not only been established to impose a level of self-identity on bodily cells, it has also been implicated in mental development and the regulation of mental state. In this it serves as a paradigm for the mind as the product of cephalic and extracephalic systems. The importance of bodily systems in identity is then discussed in relation to phantom tissue syndrome. The data strongly indicate that, even if surgically successful, head and neck transplantation will result in the loss of the continuity of personal identity.
Notes on contributor
Jocelyn Downey is a molecular biologist who performed post-doctoral research in cell-signalling biology in the US and the UK before undertaking a degree and MPhil in theology, examining issues concerning human uniqueness and personhood in science and theology. He currently works for an NGO.