Japan doctor-turned-author moots amputations to ease care crunch (www.straitstimes.com)
from schizoidman@lemmy.zip to world@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 04:50
https://lemmy.zip/post/66410365

Kusakabe, a former geriatric specialist from Osaka, explained to AFP the thinking behind his shocking proposition, saying removing paralysed limbs would make patients lighter and reduce the burden on caregivers in case the care industry reaches crisis point.

#world

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abbadon420@sh.itjust.works on 19 Jun 05:20 next collapse

I think even the most radical specialists would call that radical.

BeatTakeshi@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 05:42 collapse

Yet there will be conservatives to support that… to own the limbs

🚶‍♂️‍➡️🚪

frtzngbllr@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 05:29 next collapse

Well, if those limbs are not working anymore, with no way to recover, it really is just dead weight. Only with consent ofc, but the possibility should be given.

einkorn@feddit.org on 19 Jun 05:37 next collapse

Removing a limb is not as simple as cutting it off. There can be a host of issues that follows an amputation not least of which is constant phantom pain.

Mihies@programming.dev on 19 Jun 06:13 next collapse

That’s an interesting question. I assume one doesn’t feel a paralyzed limb. Would a phantom pain still occur in the case of amputation?

scytale@piefed.zip on 19 Jun 06:56 next collapse

Doesn’t paralysis just mean you can’t move it, and it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t feel? I wouldn’t also count out someone developing phantom pain after an amputation despite not having any feeling on the limb prior.

Mihies@programming.dev on 19 Jun 06:58 collapse

Yeah, I don’t know whether you feel anything or not - usually doctors poke your limbs with a needle and watch for reactions. I assume all the nerve communications to the limb is are severed in most of the cases, but then again, I’m assuming.

einkorn@feddit.org on 19 Jun 08:19 collapse

AFAIK Yes. If you read the Wikipedia article people born without a specific limb can also have phantom pain.

frongt@lemmy.zip on 19 Jun 09:15 collapse

Not to mention, amputation is a major operation itself.

Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus on 19 Jun 07:16 collapse

In many cases it’s worse than dead weight. Those limbs are prone to cause further issues - if you can’t move and feel the limb, it is not rare to hurt it badly simply by not realizing that the way the limb currently is positioned causes blood flow issues or outright injury, making them susceptible to infections.

But i don’t think - with the scale of demographic issues in mind - that this is something that can reduce japans problems in a meaningful way. A radical rethinking of how much pressure work and economic needs can be allowed to be inflicted on their population, in combination with a strategic campaign to reduce misogyny and xenophobia, and increases in lifetime income of mothers (by acknowledging that child rearing is a full time job) to the same level as everyone else are needed.

BeigeAgenda@lemmy.ca on 19 Jun 05:33 next collapse

Paralyzed from the neck down, no problem we’ll fix that.

How’s that head-in-a-jar technology coming along?

betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world on 19 Jun 08:24 collapse

We already have jar technology worked out so call it roughly 50%.

A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip on 19 Jun 08:39 collapse

Plus, you get a few kilos of usable biomass each time.

“It’s made of people limbs!”