Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

Progress in medicine depends on human experimentation because new treatments could not be developed without it. But experimentation also puts research subjects at risk because untested treatments may not work as investigators hope. Consequently, at the heart of human experimentation lies a conflict between the common good of medical progress and the health interests of research subjects. How do we balance these interests? When should experimentation proceed? After a series of research scandals in the twentieth century, a broad consensus developed around three basic principles of research ethics: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice. Initial application of these principles focused on ensuring adequate protection for human subjects. In some cases, however, restrictions on human experimentation have failed to adequately protect human subjects and in other cases have been overprotective. In 1947, the world learned of what is now the most infamous scandal in medical research: medical experiments conducted by Nazi doctors. Nazi doctors performed a variety of disturbing experiments on prisoners in concentration camps. Some experiments were designed to further the war effort. Because of wartime casualties, Nazi doctors were interested in learning how to treat gunshot wounds, how to treat diseases such as typhus, and how to effectively rescue pilots who were shot down in the icy ... log in or subscribe to read full text