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Autonomy and Non-Domination in International Clinical Research
In February, Dr. Danielle Wenner presented her talk “Autonomy and Non-Domination in International Clinical Research” as a part of the Young Philosophers Lecture Series hosted by the Prindle Institute and the DePauw Philosophy Department. Next week, we’ll post Dr. Michael Hannon’s talk, “Does Knowledge Matter?” Throughout May and June, we’ll continue to post videos of each talk (also available … Continue reading "Autonomy and Non-Domination in International Clinical Research"
All Medicine Stories
The Vaccine Debate: Where Do We Go From Here?
The vaccine debate is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: there is an article published on the topic almost daily, and it’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t have an opinion on the subject. But for all the discussion, it seems that we are making very little progress towards resolving the issue: vaccination rates continue to … Continue reading "The Vaccine Debate: Where Do We Go From Here?"
Ethics in 5: Printerns on Vaccinations
Every week, the Prindle Intern team weighs in on an ethical issue together. Each intern is challenged to keep their response to five sentences – Ethics in 5. Click on an intern’s name to check out their previous posts on The Prindle Post! This week’s question: Vaccinations The anti-vaccination movement has been gaining momentum over the … Continue reading "Ethics in 5: Printerns on Vaccinations"
Head Transplants: HEAVEN or Hell?
Doctor Sergio Canavero has been interested in performing head transplants since learning about Doctor Robert White’s experiment in 1970, which involved switching the heads of two different monkeys. 45 years later, Canavero is ready to emulate the experiment using two humans instead. The procedure planned for 2017 is called head anastomosis venture, or HEAVEN and involves … Continue reading "Head Transplants: HEAVEN or Hell?"
Depressed about Zoloft?
Pfizer, a drug-making company that manufactures many well-known and commonly used drugs such as Lyrica, Viagra, Lipitor, and Zoloft in court over the controversy stemming from the drug Zoloft. It is a drug designed to treat depression, which costs an estimated $30.4 billion a year and debilitates 17.5 million Americans with feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing, … Continue reading "Depressed about Zoloft?"
The Necessity of Vaccination
The introduction of vaccines was one of the biggest leaps in medical history. To think that one could be permanently immune to a specific disease was incredibly enticing to the population at large. There has been recent controversy, however, on whether or not vaccines are the best option for protecting individuals against disease, especially in young … Continue reading "The Necessity of Vaccination"
Fatal realities of medical experimentation: the case of Guatemala
According to a recent report by The Guardian, John Hopkins University is being accused of carrying out lethal experiments on over 800 Guatemalan research participants in the 1940s and 1950s. Claimants are now suing the university for over a billion dollars in damages. Allegedly, the John Hopkins School of Medicine intentionally selected highly vulnerable research participants, … Continue reading "Fatal realities of medical experimentation: the case of Guatemala"
Moral Concerns About Breast Cancer Treatment
As cancer becomes increasingly prevalent in our society, cancer screening and treatment have developed into some of the most expensive and important facets of the medical world. More and more women are faced with unfavorable results from routine mammograms. Or so they are told. In his article on breast cancer overtreatment, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar discusses the … Continue reading "Moral Concerns About Breast Cancer Treatment"
The Ethics of a "One-Cure" Solution
Breast cancer and the push for finding “the cure” for cancer are not new. We race for the cure, walk for the cure, bike for the cure, and do just about anything you can think of to raise money to fund cancer research; the one way society as a whole works to combat this disease. … Continue reading "The Ethics of a “One-Cure” Solution"
Cannabis and Cancer
An Australian man was arrested and stripped of his parental rights after treating his 2-year-old daughter with cannabis oil. Adam Koessler’s daughter has been diagnosed with stage-4 neuroblastoma, which develops from immature nerve cells. The cannabis oil was used in addition to diet changes, chemotherapy, and nautropathic medicine. Although he says that his daughter’s quality of … Continue reading "Cannabis and Cancer"
Ebola in the News
Although the American news coverage has dropped off significantly, the death toll in the Ebola epidemic in West Africa continues to rise. It is currently approaching 10,000 victims, and 6/10 of the people currently suffering from the disease will likely die. Over 8,000 people have died and over 20,000 have been infected. The news cycle … Continue reading "Ebola in the News"
Minors and Unwanted Medical Treatment
Should anyone be forced to receive medical treatment they do not want? In September, a 17-year-old in Connecticut was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The girl, Cassandra C., told her mother that she did not want to receive chemotherapy treatment because she does not believe in putting “poison into her body,” even if she has cancer. … Continue reading "Minors and Unwanted Medical Treatment"
Dying with Dignity
Death with dignity is increasingly becoming a prominent social issue. In November, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard decided to end her life after receiving a prognosis of six months to live after being diagnosed with aggressive terminal brain cancer. Maynard decided that instead of allowing her mind to detriorate while the rest of her body was reasonably … Continue reading "Dying with Dignity"
Buried Without A Brain: Should Shipley's Family Have Been Informed?
In the news since 2010, the ethical dilemma of Jesse Shipley’s brain has reached headlines once again. The Shipley family discovered their son’s missing organ after a high school field trip to the morgue resulted in students informing the family that Jesse’s brain was in a jar, labeled with his name. Nearly a decade after … Continue reading "Buried Without A Brain: Should Shipley’s Family Have Been Informed?"
Genetic Testing: A Right Not to Know
The other day I picked up an article from The Wall Street Journal that caught my attention for many reasons. I have always personally struggled with the concept of genetic testing. On the one hand, I think it is an amazing feat. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis would grant me the ability to check and make sure my … Continue reading "Genetic Testing: A Right Not to Know"
Dr. Sharon Crary on the Ebola Outbreak
Dr. Sharon Crary, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at DePauw, has studied Ebola virus extensively and was part of the Center for Disease Control’s response team during the Ebola outbreak in Uganda in 2000. In this video, Dr. Crary discusses the Ebola virus as well as key pieces of advice that we should all know concerning the … Continue reading "Dr. Sharon Crary on the Ebola Outbreak"
The Ethics of an Epidemic
As the outbreak of Ebola enters its seventh month, the ethical dilemmas facing the world continue to increase. While the issue of experimental treatments remains unresolved (see my previous post on the topic), new problems have entered onto the stage. Treatment of Ebola in America, the media’s response, and the treatment of health care workers … Continue reading "The Ethics of an Epidemic"
Misinformation in the Age of Ebola
As the Ebola outbreak has progressed, public discourse of the matter has reached a fever pitch. From announcements that airports will screen for the disease to coverage of the growing number of cases in Dallas, we are inundated with coverage of the outbreak. And as some call for the closure of borders and bans on … Continue reading "Misinformation in the Age of Ebola"
Ebola: No Longer a Microscopic Problem
Over the past two weeks, reports of a Liberian man with Ebola being treated in Dallas have captivated our public discourse. Some worry that this may be a “Patient Zero” situation, and that the outbreak will soon transcend borders to become a global epidemic. While this fervor has taken place at home, however, even more … Continue reading "Ebola: No Longer a Microscopic Problem"
The FDA and Banning Shock Therapy
The FDA is currently debating whether skin shocking devices should be banned for use on patients with autism and developmental/intellectual disabilities that display self-harmful or violent behaviors. The only treatment center to use skin shocks, the Judge Rotenburg Center in Caton, Mass., treats 55 patients with skin shocks. The center and some families claim that … Continue reading "The FDA and Banning Shock Therapy"