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Skepticism in Scientific Research Work
Science sometimes brings humanity into a twist such that sometimes it is by self-sacrifice that we can be able to discover new things. However, such sacrifices may come with a large price to pay. Scientists have gone to a large extent trying to discover ways to solve some problems in this world. However, there is also a lot of skepticism in various fields of research such that potential discoveries remain unexplored. The law is also limiting their work to some extent. However, some scientists are driven by a course they believe in while others are driven by mere compassion for humanity. One such man is Barry James Marshall, a 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner who experimented on himself to make a discovery. This great scientist had carried out extensive research on H. pylori, a microaerophilic bacterium, which he believed was causing ulcers in human beings. This essay analysis how regulations and lack of support may cause limitations in medical research work where it analyses the work of Marshall and the newest discovery of the seizure-stopper.
In 1979, the Royal Perth Hospital appointed Marshall as its registrar (Marshall, 1064). While working in the hospital, he met another passionate doctor who had specialized in gastritis. This two doctors conducted research on the presence of spiral bacteria in human beings in association with gastritis. However, H. pylori had something distinct and its excretion unique such that they believed it caused peptic ulcers and gastric cancer (Marshall, 1064). However, many scientists could not even believe that such bacteria would live in the acid environment such as the human stomach and the intestines. In fact, Marshall was ridiculed for even believing in such a thing. He did not lose hope. In 1982, a developed his theory and was ready to test it (Marshall, 1064). He cultured his bacteria and fed them to piglets to get results. Incidentally, there was no significant outcome hence leading his theory to a dead end.
Marshall needed to test his experiment on human beings yet it was illegal to do such an experiment. In fact, the law could not allow him to test his experiment on volunteers (Marshall, 1064). However, he explored a gap in the law where it did not out-rightly prevent a person from carrying a test on himself. He infected himself to prove his theory. He drank the remaining H. pylori in the hope that he could develop ulcers after about seven days. However, on the third day, he experienced excruciating pain in the stomach. He was also experiencing extensive nausea (Marshall, 1064). The bacteria’s excretion was also making him have a very bad breath which was noticed by his mother (Marshall, 1064). By the fifth day, he started to vomit hence skipped many meals. However, he believed that it was only by waiting for the bacteria to grow that he would be able to collect sufficient data on them and make a case for his experiment (Marshall, 1064). He kept monitoring them until the eighth day.
Marshall’s experiment was successful. On the eighth day, he did an endoscopy to find out to what extent the bacteria had infected him. The intestines showed great inflammation which had escalated because of lack of acid in them to control the reaction of the bacteria (Marshall, 1065). In fact, a culture of his intestine showed that the bacteria had extensively colonized his intestines. He started to take antibiotics on the thirteenth day ending his painful experiment. This experiment help scientists understand that the bacteria was part of spectra of bacteria causing ulcers in human beings (Marshall, 1065). It was discovered that since Marshall had not developed immunity to the bacteria in time to fight it, the bacteria had thrived in his stomach (Marshall, 1065). Further experiments also showed that antibodies in human beings could fight the bacteria to some extent. This was the reason why human beings had little understanding of the bacteria. The experiment also helped develop antibiotics that could help in case the patient was not excreting enough acid.
Marshall had made a sacrifice very few scientists could do. Self-sacrifice that we would hope many more could do to achieve better treatment in the medical industry. It is unfortunate that still, some scientists consider his experiment unethical despite the results it brought to the field of medicine. However, this led him to win the Nobel Peace Prize and inspire more doctors and scientists to work on their theories despite the doubts and obstacles they face in the process. In fact, doctors and researchers at NYU Langone Medical Centre were such scientists who were inspired by Marshall’s experiment. There are over 840,000 people who are epileptic (Duncan and Clement 768). Most of these people developed this problem by accident. However, the problem comes even with bigger problems than the disorder itself. It may lead the person to cause harm to himself and even those around him. In fact, some unexpected road accidents have been caused by a driver who has randomly developed a seizure (Duncan and Clement 768). However, NYU Langone Medical Centre has developed an implant that could stop the seizure the moment it starts.
This device monitors the levels of electric signals relied on the brains. This includes the signals sent through the neurons, which can malfunction leading to a seizure. Normally, doctors administer anti-seizure medicine which treats seizures even when the person is not having a seizure (Duncan and Clement 768). Consequently, these medicines can have many side effects. On the other hand, surgeries may eliminate some of the causes of the seizure but they may fail to entirely treat the source of the problem. However, this device, RNS Stimulator, automatically treats a seizure whenever it arises (Duncan and Clement 768). It monitors the brain wavelengths to establish the normal wavelengths that a patient’s brain produces. This had to be specific to the patient hence it has to be fixed by a doctor. Consequently, whenever an abnormal wavelength that could cause a seizure comes up, the RNS Stimulator sends signals that normalize these abnormal wavelengths. However, such a device has taken so long to come up because of the rules governing such implantations to the brain. In fact, it was until 2014 that the first implantation was done, despite being discovered over 7 years earlier (Duncan and Clement 768). This prevented many patients from benefiting from such treatments.
The legal systems governing medicines have always been implemented to ensure that the treatments conducted on human beings are safe for them. However, they may limit the extent and speed at which a discovery is made. In Marshall’s case, the laws prevented him from conducting an experiment that he had considered safe on any volunteers hence conducting it on himself. Though it was successful, it delayed his experiment. The RNS Stimulator was also delayed because it had to be proven to be safe. This indicates that there is a need to streamline laws governing such experiments whenever the experiments are deemed legal.
Works Cited
Duncan, John S., and Clement Hamani. “Stimulating the brain for epilepsy.” Neurology 84.8 (2015): 768-769.
Marshall, Barry J. “Helicobacter pylori: the etiologic agent for peptic ulcer.” Jama 274.13 (1995): 1064-1066.