Dr. James Bedford, the First Cryonaut Now the Longest-Surviving Human Ever
James Bedford, cryopreserved in 1967 and still maintained by Alcor Life Extension Foundation, was born on April 20, 1893. That means that he is now the longest-surviving human being ever. Previously, Jeanne Calment was listed as the longest-lived human being ever verified. She was born on 21 February 1875 and died on 4 August 1997, making her 122 years, 164 days old (or 44,724 days).
Scottsdale, Arizona, December 4, 2015 (Newswire.com) - James Bedford, cryopreserved in 1967 and still maintained by Alcor Life Extension Foundation, was born on April 20, 1893. That means that he is now the longest-surviving human being ever. Previously, Jeanne Calment was listed as the longest-lived human being ever verified. She was born on 21 February 1875 and died on 4 August 1997, making her 122 years, 164 days old (or 44,724 days).
Bedford was cryopreserved on January 12, 1967, with the hope of eventual repair and revival with more advanced technology sometime in the future. It is true that Bedford is not currently, legally alive. But neither is he dead. He is in a third state akin to a deep coma but where all metabolic activity has halted. So long as he is maintained in that unchanging state, if he was sufficiently well-preserved to begin with, he should be considered as surviving. As of November 27, 2015, he has survived for 122 years, 219 days (or 44,779 days). This makes him the longest-surviving human being in history.
Dr. Bedford was transferred to Alcor September 22, 1987, from son Norman Bedford. When Alcor transferred him from an old, customized vessel in 1991, it was clear that the original ice cubes were intact Alcor patient caretaker Mike Perry, who was present for that transfer, says: “Despite the relatively crude methods used in 1967, James Bedford may still be with us. I hope to be there to welcome him back to life. If the effort succeeds, the world will be a different place, with cryonics recognized as the life-saving measure it did in fact prove to be. And Dr. Bedford will be the ultimate pioneer among us.”
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, founded in 1972, is the world’s largest and most advanced cryonics organization, with over 1,040 cryopreservation members and 141 cryopreserved patients.
Contact: Marji Klima / 480-905-1906 x101 / marji@alcor.org