Italian surgeon, Sergio Canavero says he can transplant a human head unto a body in 2 years' time

This can sound like a fiery tale, but doctors are gearing up to do the world’s first head transplant.

Italian surgeon Sergio Canavero wants to take the head from someone with an incurable illness and graft it on to a healthy body.  He claims the first operation could be done in just two years’ time.

The £7.5million body swap would initially be used to give a new lease of life to paralyzed people – including those with spinal cord injuries similar to those sustained by the late actor Christopher Reeve.

 

People with muscle-wasting diseases and those whose organs are riddled with cancer could also have their head put on a new body.

Those with motor neurone disease, the condition suffered by Stephen Hawking and portrayed by Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne in the film The Theory of Everything, might also benefit.

Eventually, the technique could be used to extend the life of healthy people in the ‘ultimate cosmetic surgery’.