Editor, Times-Union: With the Zimmer-Biomet merger in mind, here are some predictions of future medical technology companies Warsaw may work with. Synthetic muscles that use electro-chemical reactions to expand and contract will be used in artificial hearts and will replace natural muscles in the body and limbs. The heart will be powered by a nuclear battery and the body’s energy and might outlast its first owner. A nerve bypass could replace a damaged nerve and connect to live nerves using bioconnections. It would allow synthetic body parts to operate and help paralyzed people to function normally. It was an impossibility in 1974 when I proposed the original version as was transplanting a nerve from one part of the body to another part. But since intrabody nerve transplants are being done today, nerve bypass units might be implanted in the near future. A similar device called the pain bypass might be implanted at the base of the brain to prevent pain signals from being felt. No longer would pain dominate lives or force people to be addicted to pain medications. A computerized catalytic device might use simple chemicals to form substances the body needs to be healthy and even survive. For people with liver and other organ problems, the catalyst may be what they need. Injecting inexpensive chemicals could save people thousands now spent on expensive drugs. Solid-state implants might replace damaged brain cells to reverse the effects of neurological ailments and even Alzheimer’s. If the correct implants are made, it might be possible for Stephen Hawkings to have a healthy body again. Thanks to computerization and microcircuitry, synthetic eyes and ears that are superior to natural eyes and ears might become a reality. For the blind and deaf in the future, their new synthetic organs might come from a company in Warsaw. Even the tuning devices that will let them see and hear normally instead of go insane trying to adjust to enhanced senses could be made here. The future of Warsaw and its involvement with advanced medical technology is bright as long as people with vision and technical ability are allowed to make dreams reality. Rick Badman Warsaw
