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Yes Janet I agree with you entirely. The most important thing is do the transplants work. In my particular case it is either for a short time or "no" if I was in the experimental group. If I was in the placebo group it means that I for a year was improved by having 2 holes drilled in my head without my brain being touched. Ruth had that experience- some improvement followed by deterioration. She was in a different study and the blind on that has been broken. She then received the follow-up surgery and apparently has been doing OK. Ruth if your out there we'd love to know. In the final analysis answering the question in a scientific manner as opposed to with answers colored by our desire to get better and for treatments like this to gain acceptance. If I've made a contribution to answering that question then it all will have been worth it . And BTW, Jim Finn's apparent success with the pig cell transplant needs to be validated and apparently they are looking for volunteers. I hope some of you will consider participating. Charlie janet paterson wrote: > hi charlie and nancy > > At 10:18 1999/01/29 -0600, charlie wrote, in part: > >"...But medical ethicist Arthur Caplan of the University of > >Pennsylvania Health System believes placebo surgery is unethical. > >... But Caplan said patients with advanced Parkinson's disease > >'are so desperate they will sign up for anything.' "... > >Caplan is dead wrong on this. All subjects are told that the > >placebo surgery is possibly going to occur and understand the risk... > > > >> and nancy wrote, in part: > >> ...This is followed by a brief pro and con discussion among ethicists. > >> In general, it is is positive article under a negative headline. > > this 'sensationalist' emphasis was very distracting > in the Wall Street Journal article and NBC news segment > about the fetal cell implants that our own Ruth Ashley has had > > the important question to me as a parkinsonian was > "do the implants work?" > > i believe that the answer in Ruth's case was a positive one > but that vital message was virtually shuffled aside > > for those with wwweb access who want to know more > take a look at the pd list archives at: > <http://james.parkinsons.org.uk/> > using the search criteria > "ruth ashley" > > janet > > janet paterson - 51 now /41 dx /37 onset - almonte/ontario/canada > http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm > [log in to unmask] -- ****************************************************************************************** Charles T. Meyer, M.D. Middleton (Madison), Wisconsin [log in to unmask] ******************************************************************************************