This book tells the story of an incredibly ambitious undertaking—the attempt to transplant a human head for the first time in history. Medical historian Brandi Squillace writes about how the experiments of transplant scientists laid the foundation for technologies that save lives today. In the middle of the last century, the Soviet Union and the United States not only competed in space and military technologies, but also fought for primacy in the field of transplantation. The work of scientists from both countries gave impetus to the unprecedented development of medical technologies. At the center of the story is the amazing fate of neurosurgeon Robert Joseph White, who performed animal head transplants, was friends with two popes, founded the Vatican Commission on Bioethics and was nominated for a Nobel Prize for his method of brain cooling, which still helps to successfully perform complex operations . This is a story about the long journey from science fiction to scientific fact, about the conflict between scientists and animal rights activists and a society that was not ready for discoveries, about our great fears and great hopes.