Human Experimentation For Scientific Advances

Human experimentation for scientific advances

Introduction

Throughout history, one of the greatest advances in civilization was the philosophical discussion on the investigations and interventions that the human has made in their similar ones, being these promoted both by the desire for power, conquest or improvement of it, In this constant philosophical discussion it is highlighted that these interventions are not always beneficial for the human being that is involved, because sometimes he reaches death. Throughout history this reality was closely followed, to the point of promoting prohibitions and regulations aimed at protecting both the human being physically and psychologically, in turn religions and philosophies of different cultures and civilizations incorporated ethical codes and postulates- philosophical that covered the human being.

Developing

While ethics began to make visible in the writings of Hippocrates, more than 400 years to.C., At the end of the 18th century little was understood and understood by medical ethics, because it was submerged in beliefs, primitive traditions, alchemy, witchcraft, religion and spiritualism. Characters like Newton, Freud, Pasteur and Einstein changed the course of medicine and science leaving behind certain practices. Ethics was not mentioned when establishing laws according to patient management, rather the principles of charity, consideration and spirituality were valued. When World War II arrived, where the cruel experiments carried out by the Nazis were announced to their prisoners of war, mostly Jews, this led to the Nuremberg trials being held, where both doctors and guardians of the Victims of Nazi experiments, since this time he was reborn with great strength the devotion and study by medical ethics, which as the years passed.

Ethics is an ancient concept that can be defined as ‘the field of philosophy that deals with morality and men’ (British encyclopedia, 1997). Bioethics is defined as ‘the systematic study of human behavior in the area of ​​life sciences and health care, as far as that behavior can be examined to the moral values’ (Scholle, Connor & Fuenzalida- Puelma, 1990). The origin of these dates back to the thought and practice of Hippocrates, which survived in writings such as the ‘Hippocratic Oath’ (Adams, 1939)

The constant execution of inhuman experiments in Nazi prisoners led to the creation of different international codes that covered the person, such as:

• Nuremberg trials to judge doctors who were in charge of any experiment that will use human beings for their purpose.
• Nuremberg Code (1947) that broadly and strengthened the principles of Hippocrates.
• Declaration of Helsinki, World Medical Academy (1964) that gave new impetus to medical and health ethics. In an unpreceden.
• Institutional Scientific Committees of Review, in the USA in 1966, so that independent professionals will be responsible for analyzing and monitoring clinical studies, stop avoiding inefficiencies and abuses
• Tokyo statement, which extended Helsinki’s (1975)
• International guidelines for biomedical research in humans of the Council of International Organizations of Medical Sciences, CIOMS (Bankowski & Gutteridge, 1993).
• Good clinical practices guidelines, in the USA (1995)
• Universal declaration on human genome and human rights, universally adopted in 1998 (see Compendium of Esquivel, 2000).

Thus, in 1974 it was established in the US. UU. The National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjets of Biomedical and Behavioral Research by mandate of the American Congress in order to “carry out a complete investigation and study, to identify the basic ethical principles that should guide the biomedical and behavioral research that compromises Human subjects ”(Beauchamp, 1983).

It was based on considering that the codes were not always easy to apply in particular and too complex situations, and that even applying them there were cases in which there was conflict and could not be resolved with due equanimity. The Commission produced 11 documents and a final report called Belmont report (Belmont Report, 1990), in which a method for the analysis and evaluation of research projects was tried, taking into account more broad principles that provided the bases on which to interpret and apply some specific rules ”(Report Belmont, 1990) .

These principles were three:

Principle of respect for people, incorporates at least two ethical convictions, first, that individuals must be treated as autonomous and second entities, that people whose autonomy is diminished must be the subject of protection. Defines "autonomous person" as the individual capable of deliberating on her personal goals and acting under the direction of this deliberation.

Benefit principle, two rules have been formulated as complementary expressions of beneficence acts, first do not harm and second to possible benefits and minimize possible risks.

Principle of Justice, in reference to impartiality in the distribution of risks and benefits and the notion of equity in "peers must be treated equally".

conclusion

To end this essay, from my point of view I believe that, although it is not correct to experiment in humans and go on to carry their rights, experimentation is very important to be able to make various medical advances. Although after having read and investigated the subject, I think that bioethics helps us not to make the same mistakes that were made in the past, and to open our mind and look for new forms of research in which the rights are not carried out nor the dignity of people.

Bibliography

• Adams f. The Genuine Works of Hippocrates, Williams & Wilkins Company, Baltimore, P X, 1939.
• Bankowski Z, Gutteridge F. International Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involve Human Subjects. Council of International Organizations of Medical Sciences, Cioms, Geneva, 1993
• Beauchamp, Tom; Childress, James, F. "Principles of Biomedical Ethics. Second Edition. New York Oxford. Oxford University Press, 1983, pp. 14-15.
• Encyclopaedia Britanica, Inc. New Encyclopaedia Britanica, 15a Edition, Vol. 18, p 647g, Chicago, London, 1986.
• Esquivel JM. The Bioethics and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Compendlo), Ednostassss, San Jose, Costa Rica, 55 pp, 2000.
• Belmont report. In Ministry of Health and Consumption. Clinical trials in Spain (1982-1988). Annex 4 (The Belmont Report). Madrid, 1990. This is the Spanish translation.
• Jones JH. Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. New York: The Free Press, 1993.
• Scholle Connor 5, Fuenzalida-Puelma, HL (editors). Bioethics. Issues and Perspectives, Pan American Health Organization, Sci. Pub. Nope. 527, Washinghton, D.C., 238 pp, 1990.