Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
then, was as much to improve the human condition as it was to treat
diseases—and in this regard was closer to Blish's biologists in his vision.
Contrary to this, however, reports from the Human Genome Project
mainly highlight the therapeutic potential of new discoveries while
almost always downplaying the eugenic designs that fascinated both the
ancients and much of science fiction.
His colorful portrait aside, Gilbert is hardly alone in his emphasis on
the visionary theme of genetic research. Other distinguished geneticists—
as mentioned above, Lederberg, Eccles, and Burnett, among others—
have long articulated portions of that vision. Nevertheless, despite the
hype and repeated promises of therapy that are invariably part of the
frequent announcements about new genetic discoveries, anyone seriously
considering these and related issues is well-advised to bear prominently
in mind a “haunting memory—that most of the world still consists of
things and creatures that neither scientists nor social theorists had any
hand in making.”
6
There is also the apparent need to be reminded of the
not especially agreeable record of so many technological projects—one
need not go much beyond that of nuclear power to fuel our modern age's
incessant appetite for the always more and ever new, while pretty much
ignoring and evading essential questions such as the disposal of the
inevitable toxic wastes. And then there is the uneasiness we feel when
attending carefully to the record of disasters and abuses that is so much
a part of the history of biomedical research—the radiation experiments
first publicly disclosed by Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-MA) in
1986, the syphilis experiments at Tuskegee, or the many questionable
experiments highlighted by Henry Beecher and others.
7
How can we
make sense of this? An indirection will be useful here.
Mendel's Dwarf
In Simon Mawer's engaging novel
Mendel's Dwarf
, the principal char-
acter is Benedict Lambert, who is a world-renowned geneticist, the great-
great-great-nephew of Gregor Mendel, and a dwarf (achondroplasia).
8
Whether as a professional delivering a scientific lecture, a student sitting
in a college class, or simply a citizen walking the streets of a city, Ben is
made acutely aware of himself by those “phenotypically normal” people
who invariably gawk at him, no matter where he happens to be.
