Robert A. Fink M.D. said in part:
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While I have never lived in a "war-torn land" either, my first wife
(deceased) did. She escaped the Holocaust by only a few weeks!
While I support the American system, I am not totally convinced that
some of the people who are part of it are interested in the democratic
principles that this nation is founded upon. The Constitution is our
protection; but that document does not always "cover" the newest
developments of science.
Not long ago, I served as an evaluator (and expert witness) in a
lawsuit involving a *very* prestigious academic medical institution.
The researchers there were working with a new procedure to treat a
neurological condition (not PD) and were approved by the FDA to use
a certain procedure and drug combination. After a number of bad
results (involving patient deaths and serious disabilities), the
manufacturer of the material reported to the FDA that there was
something wrong with the procedure and asked that the research be
stopped until the problem was determined. The FDA, in turn, ordered
(in writing) all institutions using the method to stop.
Well, at this institution, the researcher decided that he "knew better",
and ignored the order. He went ahead and continued to use the
procedure, causing the death of one patient and the paralysis of
another. When the "Human Experiment Committee" at the institution
protested, the protest was "covered up" by the researchers.
The family of the patient who died sued. The institution had big-time,
expensive lawyers to defend them and the patient's family was at a
distinct disadvantage. Despite this (and I will take some credit), a
good case was mounted, and the institution finally settled for a
moderately large sum. That did not bring back the patient; but
hopefully, it exposed the "researchers" and will give them second
thoughts next time.
It is this kind of "research" that could develop with stem cells; and I
am not sure that the current "oversight" process is good enough to
prevent such. I don't remember who said this, but, "The price of
freedom is eternal vigilance..."
Best,
Bob
**********************************************
Robert A. Fink, M. D., F.A.C.S., P. C.
2500 Milvia Street Suite 222
Berkeley, California 94704-2636
Telephone: 510-849-2555 FAX: 510-849-2557
WWW: http://www.dovecom.com/rafink/
mailto:[log in to unmask]
Bob and others,
It is the possibility of abuse by researchers that makes it even more
important that NIH through implementation of stem cell research guidelines
can be more likely to discover or discourage abuse by researchers. The
checks and balances are not clear to me, but at least if the federal
government is involved with stem cell research, I'd hope that any abuse
would come to light and be stopped.
Jeanette Fuhr 50/47/44?
