[ItsGotHair]

Jack Kevorkian, the pathologist long-known as the doctor who helped more than 100 people end their lives during the 1990s -- and spent eight years in prison for second-degree murder because of it -- passed away this morning in a Detroit area hospital. He was 83 and had been hospitalized for the past month, suffering from kidney problems and pneumonia, according to the Associated Press' obituary.

I've followed Kevorkian's life for years now. One of the first newspaper columns I ever wrote, as a high school student, was an overblown defense of physician-assisted suicide in which I referred to Kevorkian as the only doctor who truly cares. But this isn't the place for an appreciation. (And you can send your letters to that paper, not to me. Thanks.) What it is a place for, though, is a closer look at some of the technology that made the Armenian-American known around the world as an activist.

Kevorkian's 1968 Volkswagon Vanagon, pictured above, received 28 bids from fascinated individuals when it was listed on eBay early last year. The top offer was $3,400, but there's no telling how much it could have gone for if eBay hadn't pulled the listing from its site. Jack Finn, the seller, purchased the van back in 1997, two years before Kevorkian was sent to prison. Finn, who was a parts supplier for Kevorkian, listed the van with Kruse, an auction firm that handles classic vehicles, after it was rejected by eBay.

Finn had been storing the van in a warehouse for more than a decade, presumably waiting for the right moment. He timed the auction to coincide with the release of You Don't Know Jack, an HBO drama starring Al Pacino at Kevorkian. Pacino, who won both Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal of Kevorkian, acknowledged the doctor during one of his acceptance speeches: "Pacino said during the speech that it was a pleasure to 'try to portray someone as brilliant and interesting and unique' as Kevorkian and a 'pleasure to know him,'" according to the Associated Press.

The lines received warm applause at the awards ceremony, but there are plenty of people who would disagree with Pacino's take on Kevorkian. Many labeled him a monster and a murderer for what took place inside of that infamous van.

In the back of the Volkswagon, where Kevorkian had removed some of the seating, the doctor assembled his Mercitron and Thanatron, two machines he built himself. The Thanatron ("death machine"), which Kevorkian showed off during an appearance on the Donahue show, was constructed out of household tools and spare parts you might find in any suburban garage. Kevorkian outfitted the patient with an intravenous drip of a saline solution. When the patient pressed a button, the saline would switch to thiopental for sixty seconds. After that strong dose of thiopental, the patient would slip into a deep coma, at which point the Thanatron would inject a lethal dose of potassium chloride, a solution that stops the heart. Potassium chloride, a mix of potassium and chlorine, is the same solution that is delivered in the final step of most lethal injection procedures.

The key component of Kevorkian's Mercitron ("mercy machine"), which was used far more often than the Thanatron, was not potassium chloride, but carbon monoxide. A deadly gas, the carbon monoxide was stored in a cylinder in the back of the van and connected to a mask that Kevorkian would fit over his patients' nose and mouth. Because he always required patients to make the final move, Kevorkian built a makeshift handle. Attached to the valve of the carbon monoxide canister, even the most disabled of Kevorkian's patients was able to turn the handle and release the gas.

But carbon monoxide can take a little while to finish the job. Sometimes as many as ten minutes were required. Kevorkian, though, would often encourage his patients to ingest muscle relaxants or sedatives before the procedure so that they would stay calm while taking their last gasps of air. He never wanted them to experience any pain. As a doctor, he cared.

http://www.theatlantic.com/technolog...uicide/239897/

[Steve]

I see nothing wrong with assisting people to die that are terminally ill, how can it be wrong to be merciful. What is wrong is letting someone die of cancer in such a painful and degrading way when all they want is to be released from it all. I am over simplifying things of course, there are other factors that have to be considered. I do however agree with the basic premise of his actions and I could only hope there's a Kevorkian around if I ever needed one. I want to go out with as little pain as possible but more importantly with dignity.

[luton loyal]

[StalkingYou]

Originally Posted by ItsGotHair ↗

At what point can medicine truly deem a depressed individual as "beyond treatment" and suitable for euthanasia?

Someone like me.
I've been in therapy for over 10 years and have spent over 2 months being treated inpatient. I take a handful of medications every day which don't work. I'm in DBT therapy now and if that fails my last option is ECT. I would much rather have the choice to safely end my life than to receive shock therapy.
It sucks being a burden to your family.

[wildaxboxer]

They withdrew my late fathers fluids to speed up his death from Cancer...It's about as close as they dare go in the UK...but still assisted his passing

[ItsGotHair]

Originally Posted by StalkingYou ↗

Someone like me.
I've been in therapy for over 10 years and have spent over 2 months being treated inpatient. I take a handful of medications every day which don't work. I'm in DBT therapy now and if that fails my last option is ECT. I would much rather have the choice to safely end my life than to receive shock therapy.
It sucks being a burden to your family.

Current research is showing promising drug leads targeted against treatment resistant depression, including the use of psilocybin, a compound long understood to target the serotonergic pathways in the brain. While drugs including psilocybin have a long association with abuse, controlled use has shown promise in small clinical trials in the control of treatment resistant depression.

The following is taken from http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/ent...b077d4d6f3d5fd

"Magic mushrooms," the recreational hallucinogen long associated with music festivals and hippies, may also one day prove to have a powerful pharmaceutical effect for people with treatment-resistant depression.

In a small pilot study at the Center for Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London, more than half of participants who took psilocybin, the active compound in psychedelic mushrooms, showed a marked improvement in their depression symptoms while also demonstrating the compound's safety in a supervised setting.

This is the first clinical trial to use the active chemical compound in so-called “magic mushrooms” to treat major depression. If the findings are confirmed in larger studies, it could mean a change in the way we treat depression symptoms in those who don't respond to therapy and traditional medications, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Mushrooms from the genus Psilocybe contain psilocybin, which the human body breaks down into a substance called psilocin. This psychedelic substance then crosses the blood-brain barrier and binds to a specific serotonin receptor known as 5-HT2A, creating a profound alteration of consciousness that has been described as a mystical event, a spiritual journey or simply a “trip.” Psychedelic compounds in LSD, ayahuasca and mescaline bind to this same receptor.

Human beings have been consuming psychedelic mushrooms for thousands of years because of this effect, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that scientists began examining psilocybin's therapeutic properties in earnest.

Previous pilot studies have shown that psilocybin could be a promising new way to treat mental health symptoms like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive behavior and addiction. Those worried about the compound's effects on mental health needn't worry: Research shows that lifetime use of psychedelics like psilocybin is not an independent risk factor for mental health problems.

Beyond binding with the 5-HT2A receptor, scientists don’t really understand the chemical process that leads to this psychedelic experience. It’s even less clear how having a mystical experience might produce long-term mental health benefits, but there are at least two theories, according to Dr. Stephen Ross, director of the Psychedelic Research Group at NYU Langone Medical Center. He was not involved in the study, but reviewed it.

In the first theory, the memory of the "trip" -- which can be a profound and extremely meaningful experience -- could have a strong psychological effect on people, lifting their moods for months at a time. Alternatively, there may be a biological explanation: It's possible the binding of psilocin to the serotonin receptor sets off a cascade of yet-unknown chemical reactions that persist for weeks or months.

[Blondyinred]

Originally Posted by ItsGotHair ↗

Psychedelic compounds in LSD, ayahuasca and mescaline bind to this same receptor.

Ayahuasca itself has no effect without the chacruna leaves (proof https://dmt.vision/plants/3/). Every shaman has his own recipe of the brew and it usually contains a number of plants. However, words cannot describe the things that you witness and experience during the ritual. It is just something that remains absolutely mystical and no scientific facts could make it any less mystical.

Of course, it works in different ways on different people – some are unable to experience anything during their first time while others will have a very strong and vivid experience that will truly alter their mindset.

[houseoftechno]

I just wanted to see the death van. For posterity: