The patient's family gathered to hear what the specialists had to say.

-- Things don't look good. The only chance is a brain transplant. This is an experimental procedure. It might work, but the bad news is that brains are very expensive, and you will have to pay the costs yourselves.

-- Well, how much does a brain cost? - asked the relatives.

-- For a male brain, $500,000. For a female brain, $200,000.

Some of the younger male relatives tried to look shocked, but all the men nodded becuase they thought they understood. A few actually smirked. But the patient's daughter was unsatisfied and asked,

-- Why the difference in price between male brains and female brains?

-- A standard pricing practice. Women's brains have to be marked down because they have actually been used.