From Tom Pritchard:

Re: Breakthrough may let scientists make stem cells on demand (Nov. 20): A year or two ago I had a letter to the editor published in The Daily Star (of Oneonta, NY) inviting anyone from the medical/scientific community to respond to my suggestion that placental and umbilical cells could be harvested at birth and used for others or kept for the originating donor should the need arise in the future. A local retired surgeon, Bob Davidson (of fundamentalist leanings), affirmed my suggestion observing how logical and easy that would be to do. I’ve never read any literature or news stories relating to my concept and was wondering where the larger world scientific community is on this possibility?