Best Self

 The topic for our next in-class discussion will be on chapter 10 from Medical Ethics, which is "ethical issues in first-time organ surgeries". This chapter focused on the accounts of the first transplants of several organs and the ethics accompanying each case. As a scientist, I think that research is both exciting and fascinating. And while new ideas are (usually) not gross, they definitely are complex. 

I found this chapter particularly interesting, especially from an ethical standpoint. Chapter 9 focused on medical research in vulnerable populations, and this chapter stems from that one somewhat. The difference here is that instead of blatantly exploiting vulnerable populations "for the good" of future research and medical advancement, the surgeons here were often motivated by fame and the desire to be first. Which, in my opinion, is only another type of exploitation, but this time for personal gain. I'm not denying that the first 100s/1000s of transplants were not beneficial to medical research, medicine, and society as a whole, but more that this argument boils down to intent and consent. 

In several of the accounts discussed in this chapter, the author mentioned the doctors/teams of physicians who did not achieve the fame and status of having done the 'first' of anything, but should have received the praise for waiting until the procedures could be done under the right, or more ethical, circumstances. I agree with the author here, that pursuing a surgery or a medical procedure/experiment of any kind should not be motivated by fame or personal gain, but that it should be motivated by the desire to do good and to improve the patient's life. In a nutshell, that's what the focus of healthcare should be! The good of the patient and their family, and an improved quality of life, and not at all focused on the physician. 

If true informed consent can be given, not coerced or given under any sort of influence, and the intent of the doctor(s) is where it should be, then research of this kind could be extremely beneficial in the long run. Organ transplants are often still 'experimental' though, and not yet classified as 'therapeutic' because the human body will eventually reject the transplanted organ in a large majority of patients, even with rigorous immunosuppressants. 

That's about the extent of my thoughts on this topic for tonight, but I'm definitely looking forward to further discussion. Discussion on whether or not organ transplants allow a person to be their best self, if progress really justifies all of the suffering of past (present, and future) patients, and/or the ethics surrounding the accounts raised in this chapter. 

Textbook reference:

Pence, Gregory. Medical Ethics: Accounts of Ground-Breaking Cases. 9th ed., McGraw Hill, 2021.