For the Good of Mankind? by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein

I was curious about why the unethical experimentation was permitted.

Many had read about the pharmaceutical industry’s clinical trials that are so prevalent today, but again, few had thought about the ethical implications of these trials and other human medical experiments in developing areas of medicine, such as genetic therapies, DNA sequencing and stem cell research. But like me, few knew about the long history of human medical experimentation dating back to ancient times. Most people knew about the Nazi experiments on concentration camp inmates during World War II and the Tuskegee syphilis experiments. How was it possible that I had not known about these experiments before? I asked my family and friends. Before the 1980’s, when laws were finally enacted to protect subjects, medical researchers took advantage of whomever they could-orphans, prisoners, the mentally ill and African Americans-people who were powerless to speak out, whether from lack of education, poverty, or simply because their social status deemed them “unimportant.” But in the process, people’s individual rights were violated, many of whom did not give consent. No question about it, the experiments paved the way for great medical advancements. With some digging, I uncovered numerous examples (too many) where people suffered pain, injury, humiliation, and even death. Many of the unethical experiments horrified me. What drew you to this topic and what made you want to write this book? I appreciated how you made readers think about the implications of the research. Today, as part of the For the Good of Mankind Blog Tour, author Vicki Oransky Wittenstein stops by to answer a few questions.įOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND was fascinating to read. Lerner/Twenty-First Century Books (October 1, 2013)

For the Good of Mankind? by Vicki Oransky Wittenstein