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Feel free to duplicate
and distribute the following passage with copyright notice.
What
is Humane Treatment?
The passage below is from Chapter 4
of the new novel, Noble Vision, a thinking person’s thriller
that blends medicine, romance, and individualism.
The scene is a confrontation
between protagonist Dr. David Lang, a New York
neurosurgeon, and Dr. Alice Cook,
director of medical research at the Bureau of Medicine (BOM).
The BOM manages New York State’s healthcare program,
CareFree, which all medical facilities and practitioners
were forced to adopt in the near past. Dr. David Lang has
just presented his arguments for funding his research,
which promises to revolutionize the treatment of brain and
spine injuries with a process for regenerating nerve
tissue. It is up to the BOM to decide whether or not to
allow this research to proceed.
Dr. Alice Cook stepped behind the
podium, as if to maintain a barrier between her and the
green eyes [of David Lang] staring insolently from a seat
at the table.
“Dr.
Lang, after careful consideration, the committee finds
that although your work is valuable, it regrettably falls
outside the scope of our more pressing social needs. Many
people now question the wisdom of spending large sums for
the benefit of a small minority when the majority funding
universal health care has other concerns. We must weigh
the relative value to society of offering one
ground-breaking surgery to the few individuals needing it
against providing, for example, one thousand pairs of
contact lenses to those needing better vision.”
She paused
as if expecting a polite nod from David but received none.
“You
know, of course, that your research has been attempted by
countless others and always ended in failure, despite the
initially promising outcome of a few isolated experiments.
I'm afraid we have a responsibility to allocate public
funds for projects benefiting more people and having
greater chances of success.”
David
scanned the faces of committee members, who nodded in
agreement. Like a jury in the presence of a judge, the
others let Dr. Cook do the talking.
“Unfortunately,
our budget is limited, and for every project we approve,
there are twenty we must decline,” Dr. Cook continued.
“However, we want to thank you, Dr. Lang, for the
opportunity to consider your research. Please feel free to
submit other proposals to us. And we wish you success in
your career.”
Dr. Cook
smiled, but David did not return the courtesy.
“Frankly,
Dr. Cook,” he said, his voice solemn, his eyes intense,
“I don’t want the public to fund my research. I
don’t want to have to fit in with what this committee
thinks it needs or feels will succeed. I just want to be
left alone to finish my work. I want to procure laboratory
animals and conduct experiments at my own expense or with
the aid of investors as a private venture. I’m prepared
to do that. Now if my work doesn’t cost the public a
dime, then this committee should not have the power to
object.”
“But we
do have that power, Dr. Lang. You know the law,” replied
Dr. Cook. Her voice remained coolly polite, despite the
flush that formed on her cheeks. “Animals are protected.
Their use in research is limited to projects approved by
the state. We can’t allow anyone who feels like it to
butcher animals. That wouldn’t be humane.”
“Is it
humane to squash seven years of research and stand in the
way of progress?”
“It’s
not progress, Dr. Lang, when researchers go off
half-cocked and are unaccountable to society,” said Dr.
Cook, her voice rising. “To conduct animal experiments
without the proper authorization would be a serious
infraction of the law.”
One person
folded his glasses into a case; another reached for her
purse. Dr. Cook gathered her papers. The meeting was over
for all but David.
“Where
does that leave me and the thousands of patients who would
want my new procedure, Dr. Cook? Would these patients
think it humane of you to spare the animals and prevent me
from properly testing the treatment on them first?”
“You know
perfectly well that I don’t mean you can experiment on
humans instead. You first have to complete the animal
trials.”
“But
thanks to this committee, I can’t do the animal
trials!”
“To
perform your procedure and use your untested drugs on a
human subject without first obtaining exhaustive animal
studies and the proper regulatory approvals could expose
you to serious consequences, Dr. Lang, including loss of
your license”—Dr. Cook’s voice dropped—“and even
charges of manslaughter. Consider yourself warned.”
David
sprang from his chair and approached the podium to
retrieve the briefcase he had left there. He walked unduly
close to the petite woman, his tall form towering over
her, his face hot with anger, his voice heavy with
contempt. “Seven people sitting in a room don’t have
the right to tell me how to do my work. Seven people
don’t have the right to deny thousands of patients a
treatment they’d want to have. Seven people can’t run
medicine for the rest of us, Dr. Cook!”
Cool air
rushed into the stuffy room as David swung the door open
and left.
Copyright © 2005 by Genevieve
LaGreca. All rights reserved. From the novel Noble
Vision, published by Winged Victory Press, Chicago,
2005, 352 pages. Hardcover: ISBN 0974457981, $27.95.
Softcover: ISBN 0974457949, $14.95.
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