Scientific Ethics

The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is "to protect human health and the environment." In 1993, the EPA funded research that violated these aims.

Dec 12, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Chronic exposure to lead causes many health problems in children. In 1993, the high costs of lead abatement encouraged the EPA to fund a controversial research project.

Dec 12, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

At the Doctors' Trial, Nazi physicians claimed that their medical abuses should be excused as they had acted no differently than U.S. doctors. Was their allegation true?

Oct 17, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

For almost 40 years, the U.S. Public Health Service studied syphilis in African American men without telling them that they were being experimented upon.

Oct 9, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The Nuremberg Code of 1947 set forth 10 basic principles regarding human experimentation, but the medical profession needed something less legalistic and more practical.

Oct 6, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Nearly 20 years after the Nuremberg Code, a New York physician named Chester Southam injected live cancer cells into patients without their consent.

Oct 5, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

With the rise of Adolf Hitler to power, the Nazis allowed German physicians to conduct unethical medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners.

Sep 26, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The need to respect authority is ingrained from an early age, but sometimes blind obedience to authority has a destructive influence on ethics and moral decision making.

Sep 17, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

By 1933, German medicine had become increasingly politicized as physicians openly endorsed National Socialism as a means to purge society of undesirable influences.

Sep 11, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The Nuremberg Code (1947) is considered the starting point for human experimentation ethics, but strict guidelines and medical regulations existed in Germany before 1933.

Sep 10, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Prior to the adoption of the Nuremberg Code, most human experimentation was performed on vulnerable people who were least likely to give voluntary consent for research.

Sep 8, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The Age of Enlightenment promoted reason and scientific knowledge, but sometimes new medical treatments were suggested by influential patients and not physicians.

Aug 24, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Following the advances proposed by Avicenna in the 11th century, medical experimentation languished during the Middle Ages and throughout the Age of Reason.

Aug 24, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Following the decline of the Greek and Roman civilizations, the next major advance in medical experimentation came from a Persian physician named Avicenna.

Aug 23, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The practice and ethics of human experimentation is not a modern phenomenon, but has origins in ancient medicine and culture.

Aug 23, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The medical profession existed for thousands of years before the first code of medical ethics was accidentally developed in 1794.

Aug 21, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

Although the Pernkopf Atlas has been used by physicians for almost 70 years, allegations about the artists and the models have raised disturbing ethical questions.

Aug 16, 2009 - Jeffrey Willett

The use of animals for scientific research is a controversial topic. There are, however, a number of committees involved in ensuring the ethical treatment of animals.

Jul 25, 2009 - Roberta Goli

The recently discovered induced pluripotent stem cells, or IPS cells, seem to be just as promising as embryonic stem cells without any of the ethical drawbacks.

May 21, 2009 - Katherine Brind'Amour

Research participation is good for society, but volunteers should understand the very basic principles of privacy and confidentiality

Feb 16, 2009 - Tim Atkinson

Institutional Review Boards must review a study for risks to study volunteers before the study goes live.

Feb 16, 2009 - Tim Atkinson

Research participation is laudable, but you should know your rights. Make sure the study is approved, read the consent, and always ask questions.

Feb 13, 2009 - Tim Atkinson

This century could see scientific discoveries ranging from designer babies to thinking machines, and such discoveries will raise profound ethical questions.

Jan 10, 2009 - Robert Harrand

Making DNA information available to scientists can speed research into medical conditions, yet may also lead to a loss of privacy.

Oct 21, 2008 - Suzanne Pitner

On September 10th, 2008 the Large Hadron Collider, a colossal scientific experiment both financially and ambitiously, successfully began in a tunnel beneath Switzerland.

Sep 10, 2008 - Abby Deliz