From Jessie

While reading chapter 3 of Strangers at the Bedside by David J. Rothman I was disturbed by “acceptable” research practices after WWII. In the chapter Rothman say’s “surveys revealed a widespread conviction that ethical judgments were best left to the judgment of investigators” (P. 60). I found this statement disturbing, because it brought to mind a sociology book I read in the last two years called “The Sociopath Next Door” by Martha Stout. In “The Sociopath Next Door” Stout describes how, as many as 4% of individuals are unable to feel empathy, compassion, or ability to relate to other humans or animals. Simply based on the findings of Stout, whether or not psychopaths actually account for 4% of the population, would render Rothman’s finding very disturbing. If we could imagine a doctor having unlimited capacity to run tests on an individual without oversight, from some board of ethics, it is disturbing to think what might be deemed acceptable practice by the doctor lacking a conscience. If such a person were to run medical experiments, it is unlikely they would have any sympathy/empathy for whatever pain, or even death they might deal their patients. Without moral/ethical oversight such individuals could potentially harm the lives of hundreds or even thousands of individuals, and have claimed it all to be in the name of science.