If so, what human experiment categories are
ethically correct? Human experimentation falls into three divisions, the first
of which is, ? Experiments that the researcher carries out on him or herself ?
(Weiss 34). A traditionally excepted example of this was conducted over
one-hundred years ago by a scientist set on disproving the fact germs cause
disease, The way he decided to prove his idea was to swallow a beakerful of
cholera germs. However, he had a natural immunity to cholera; he did not become
ill. It was concluded that he had a natural immunity, because it was later
proven that cholera is a very harmful germ and if ingested it will cause a
person to become ill (Weiss 35). The second category states, ? Experiments
carried out on the sick in the belief that the experiment will help them, or on
the healthy in the belief that the experiment will keep them well? (Weiss 35).
The classic procedure that demonstrates this category is the experiment of the
French scientist Lois Pasteur. In 1885, a distraught mother brought her
nine-year old son to Dr. Pasteur. A dog with rabies had bitten the boy, and the
mother had heard that Pasteur had developed a vaccine that prevented rabies in
dogs. The mother begged Dr. Pasteur to administer the vaccine; he was hesitant
and then he obeyed the mother?s wishes and injected the boy, the boy survived
the deadly rabid dog bite (Weiss 35). The third group of ethical experimentation
is,? Those conducted on the sick or healthy with no intention of helping those
people directly? (Weiss 36). These tests are conducted to gain information at a
later time. New prescription drugs and new-products fall under this category.
These research guidelines have been in existence for years upon years and serve
a very practical purpose, to protect everyone who may become sick or of life
threatening condition, with these guidelines a doctor can try to aide a person
within these specifications.The legal aspects of ethics are definitions. How
things are defined in ethical terms; a few of the more controversial definitions
include brain death, vital signs, death itself, and what a person or human being
is. Brain death can be defined as,? when no oxygen is reaching the brain? or
more complexly as,? ... the cessation of brain activity at both cortical and
lower levels even though heart and respiratory functions can be maintained
mechanically...? (Madsen 324, Hudak 371.)
However, brain death can be put into
more than thirty sets of criteria. (Infopedia) Death can be defined in two ways
in the ethical standpoint, first as,? The cessation of life; the ceasing to
exist? or as ? the total stopping of circulation of blood and cessation of
animal and vital functions? (Singer 21). Death is a very important definition in
ethics, with all of our technological advancements we can sustain a person
artificially and we need to be able to tell when all hope is lost or a person is
dead. A vital sign is,? Temperature, pulse, and respiration?s in a person? (Du
Gas 158). A vital sign can be,? ... increasing anoxia; the pupils become dilated
and fixed. Low blood pressure and elevated temperature, and rapid respiration
rate are often seen also as a sign for a nurse in a recovery situation? (Wagman
337) Medical progressions have significantly increased life expectancy and have
also improved quality of life in numerous ways. From organ transplants that save
thousands of lives to new machines that can detect life-threatening problems.
Organ donors provide the very rare and greatly needed, very rare matches needed
for organ transplants. ? Cadaver donors grant permission to donate their organs
after they have died. Sometimes permission is granted by the family of the
deceased after their relative has died? (Weiss 18). Cadaver donors make up over
three fourths of the donors (Hudak 370). There are also the living donors. As
the name indicates, a living related donor is a donor from within the family.
The possibility of having a HL-A compatible donor, a tissue match, from within
the family should be explored for every potential recipient. The possible
combinations include: A 4-antigen match, also called an HL-A identical match,
which would have to be a sibling of the potential recipient; a 3-antigen match,
which is uncommon since the antigens are usually inherited in pairs or
haplotypes; and a 2-antigen match, which is the most frequently seen
compatibility. The presence of four completely different antigens is considered
a complete mismatch, and is not a desirable situation for a transplant to be
performed, since no similarity exists between the tissues (Hudak 370).Once a
potential donor is identified, he/she has a thorough medical evaluation to
determine that he/she is free of other disease, that he/she has two kidneys, and
that donation could no obvious way jeopardize his/her well being. Once this
evaluation is successfully completed, a living relative transplant may be
performed (Hubak 370).
