James Bedford: A Perpetual Patient Waiting for the Future (9 photos)
Is humanity destined to ever bring the dead back to life? For over half a century, Dr. James Hiram Bedford has been trying to answer this question through his silent existence. 
His body, frozen in 1967, remains in the Alcor Foundation's laboratory, transformed from a scientific experiment into a symbol of hope for the victory over death. 
In life, Bedford was a professor of psychology at the University of California. Realizing his battle with kidney cancer was lost, he made a fateful decision: he bequeathed one hundred thousand dollars for his own cryonic preservation. He believed that medicine in the distant future would be able not only to restore his body but also restore his consciousness. 
James Bedford – the first person cryogenically frozen
His death on January 12, 1967, became a true test for the nascent field of cryonics. No industry for cryopreservation existed at the time, and the very idea of preserving an entire body seemed far-fetched. To fulfill the professor's last wishes, his nurse had to improvise quickly: she went from neighbor to neighbor, collecting ice to cool the body, and contacted the Life Extension Society. One journalist later described this frantic preparation as a performance that began before the premiere. 
Bedford is administered dimethyl sulfoxide after his death on the afternoon of January 12, 1967.
A group of enthusiasts, using cryogenics research, began preserving him. They injected medical-grade antifreeze into his bloodstream while continuing to oxygenate his body to protect his brain. After initial cooling in a dry ice capsule, Bedford's body was transferred to liquid nitrogen at -196 degrees Celsius. 
Bedford remains at the Alcor facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The subsequent years were a difficult journey for the frozen body. It was transported between states, and relatives had to defend the right to continue the experiment in court. The funds Bedford had allocated had long been insufficient, and at some point, his son, tired of the expense, stored his father's body in a private warehouse, replenishing the liquid nitrogen supply himself. It was only in 1982 that the professor's remains were permanently housed at Alcor, although their condition raises serious doubts about the successful completion of the experiment. 
Modern Cryosurgery from Alcor in Arizona
An examination conducted in 1991 revealed numerous injuries: reddened skin, a flattened nose, and cracks in the chest. These defects, along with the use of outdated dimethyl sulfoxide antifreeze, make recovery virtually impossible. Modern scientists emphasize that the primitive vitrification of 1967 could not have prevented the formation of destructive ice crystals, and Bedford's brain is likely permanently damaged. 
This cooling tank can accommodate four bodies and several heads.
Despite this, his example inspired thousands of followers. Today, three global cryonics companies, including Alcor, the Cryonics Institute in Clinton Township, Michigan, and KrioRus in Moscow, store hundreds of bodies, and several thousand more plan to join them after death. Bedford, unwittingly, became a pioneer of a movement that continues to challenge the very concept of mortality. 
Cryopreservation pioneer James Bedford: this photo was taken as his body was being transferred to a modern container
The rest of his family chose a traditional burial or cremation, meaning that in the event of his miraculous resurrection, Bedford would be surrounded by only strangers.
Most scientists and doctors believe a favorable outcome is impossible. The human body is a complex mosaic of tissues of varying densities and temperature sensitivities, with each cell type requiring its own specific antifreeze. 
Bedford was moved in 1991.
But even assuming the tissues can be perfectly preserved, the person is already dead by the time the cryopreservation process begins. At best, the final result of all this effort will be a corpse. Admittedly, a very well-preserved one.
