Printing Body Parts

Over the weekend I was surfing the internet and came across an interesting article. Neurosurgeons successfully replace a woman's skull with one produced by a 3D printer. This woman suffered a bone disorder that increased the thickness of her skull from 1.5 inches to 5 inches! This obviously caused many problems for her such as reduced eyesight and painful headaches. Without this surgery, the 22 year old woman would have most likely died "in the near future", says Dr. Bon Verwejj (the doctor who performed this much needed surgery).

This artificial skull, that was put in in place of the woman's actual skull, was made of an unspecified kind of hard plastic. Since her surgery, the "patient has gained her sight back entirely, is symptom-free and back to work". It is extremely impressive that this woman is able to recover as quickly as she did. Within only a couple of months, this woman's life was completely turned around.

As technology becomes more advanced and accessible, more amazing things are happening. If this woman wasn't able to get this surgery, she would've passed away. This artificial skull is able to save countless lives in the future.

Medicine and surgery are becoming far more advanced, extending the lifespan of humans. But, is this going too far? If humans become able to replace almost any part of their body with something produced by a printer, will we eventually become mostly machine made?