2000 - PRESENT
In our current reality, the history of medical experimentation remains relevant. The principle of Sankofa shows us it is okay to "go back and fetch" our past to move forward into a less painful future.
PLEASE NOTE: Images and descriptions displayed in this museum may be disturbing for some viewers.
Discretion advised.
NOVEL CORONAVIRUS: COVID-19
Due to events related to the pandemic COVID-19, we were afforded a real time example of medical approaches to public health, including relaxed regulatory oversight. This reality brings experimentation history to the forefront, asking us to use SANKOFA to determine what we learned from our past, to better understand the present - ideally preventing these mistakes from happening again.
[image: stock photo of COVID-19 among red blood cells]
THE LOSS OF A HEART
What was supposed to be a success in prolonging life, became a disaster in prolonging death, as seen by James Quinn, when he agreed to replace his failing heart with an artificial one.
[image: Burling, Stacey, (August 21, 2019). “James Quinn and his wife, Irene, sitting on a couch.]
NOT ENOUGH COLOR:
RACIAL/ ETHNIC DISPARITY IN
CLINICAL RESEARCH
When it comes to clinical research trials, white participants make up at least 80% of the subjects. These same trials are often used to produce products marketed to minority communities.
[image: Lisk Feng, Scientific American, 2018. Artist creation used in article to speak to the lack of racial diversity in research.]
RIGHT TO TRY
Obtaining access to medications, especially when they are still in phases of trial before being approved, is a long and lengthy process usually only to end in rejection. This new legislation passed in 2017 now allows patients, specifically ones that are terminally ill, to have a better chance to get approved for these medications as a last chance to save their lives, or does it?
[Image: Abscent84. Pharmacist handing a patient medication.]
EVALUATING VIOXX
Drug advertising is one of the largest industries in the US, but what happens when those advertisements are misleading?
[Image: Robert Daemmrich Photography Inc/Corbis via Getty Images, 2004. A billboard on State Highway 44 and South Padre Island Drive advertising a law firm for claimants who had taken Vioxx]
NEUROSURGERY MALPRACTICE: DR. DEATH
Arrested for gross malpractice, Christopher Daniel Duntsch once was a neurosurgeon. However, his carelessness left over 33 patients in Texas maimed or dead in the span of 4 years.
[image: The Sun, 2018. Mary was Left Wheelchair Bound After Christopher Daniel Duntsch (Dr. Death) Treated Her for Back Pain]
FETAL CELL LINES USED IN COVID-19 VACCINE
The COVID-19 vaccine was highly controversial due to the fetal cell lines used to develop it. Although this is commonly used in many medications and vaccines, misinformation surrounding the use of fetal cell lines in the COVID-19 vaccine led to mass hesitation about receiving the vaccine.
[Image: German101, Getty. Photo of clusters of human embryonic cells under a microscope]
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CHAT GPT AND MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS
The integration of ChatGPT into the medical domain raises significant ethical and practical considerations, from perpetuating biases to infringing copyright laws.
[Image: BulkPublishing. Image of ChatGPT logo with black text on white background "ChatGPT Prompts for Medical Diagnosis]
UNOS TRANSPLANT MONOPOLY: BALANCING EFFICIENCY & EQUITY
The UNOS transplant monopoly system perpetuates inequalities in access to life-saving organs, potentially favoring certain regions or demographics over others. Its centralized control has sparked concerns about transparency and accountability, raising questions about fairness and the ethical implications of organ allocation.
[Image: Meline, B. M., Meline, M., Weeks, B. C., Weeks, C., Levins, B. H., Levins, H., Tachibana, B. C., Tachibana, C., Bressman, B. E., Bressman, E., Abel, B. D., & Abel, D. (2023, December 19). Illustration of UNOS Waitlist]
DIVERSITY/PATIENT OUTCOME
Throughout this class, we see incongruencies with the identity of the physician versus the identity of the patient. Research shows that having a more diverse healthcare staff can result in better health outcomes of the patient and community.
[Image: SHM State of Hospital Medicine Report, 2020. Image depicts data of highest-ranking physician leaders; White 57.1%, Asian 23.5%, Black/African American 5.5%.
XENOTRANSPLANTATION, USING ANIMAL ORGANS TO SAVE HUMAN LIVES
Advancements in technology have allowed scientists to improve xenotransplantation, providing a solution to organ transplant demand. However, xenotransplantation created ethical concerns regarding animal and patient welfare.
[Image: Stein, 2024. President Of Revivircor holding a pig raised for research purposes.]
THE CONSEQUENCES OF BARIATRIC SURGERY
With the increase in people suffering from severe obesity, physicians utilize bariatric surgery to reduce patient's future health risks. However, patients are not aware of the possible complications.
[Image: Iacobellis et al., 2022 . A CT scan revealing the consequences of bariatric surgery.]
NANOMEDICINE, FUTURE ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE FOR CANCER?
Cancer medications cause patients to feel many side effects, leading scientists to develop nanomedicine. Although nanomedicine provides many benefits for treating cancer, complications have kept the nanomedicine in the experimental phase.
[Image: Greenwood. Stock image illustrating nanoparticles entering a tumor cell.]
THE CASE OF DAVID REIMER
David Reimer was an individual who was made to live his early life as a girl due to a forced sex change after a botched circumcision. After years feeling uncomfortable as a girl, he decided to live his life as a boy, to where he learned of his assigned gender at birth.
[Image: Find a Grave, database and images, 2007. Image depicts a portrait of Reimer possibly in his teens, this is the image that is most commonly used when discussing Reimer.]