Introduction

While transplanting human heads is not a new concept, the idea has largely been relegated to religious lore or as a plot device in science fiction. But now, a surgical plan to perform the complex procedure exists, and though most physicians question head transplantation’s medical veracity, bioethicists have challenged the surgery on moral grounds. A Test of Morals compiles and examines the ethical questions that dog those who advocate for conducting this most radical of medical proposals in order to determine if society should move forward and allow head transplantation to occur. Current bioethical principles stand in opposition to head transplantation, causing a conflict of values rarely seen in medicine.