ipl-logo

Denis Diderot: The Ethicality Of Human Experimentation

1209 Words5 Pages

Denis Diderot once said, “There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge... observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination.” What Denis Diderot talks about is logical when trying to obtain information on a certain subject, and this applies to experiments performed on humans. When individuals think of human experimentation, unethical and immoral are sometimes the first words the pop into their brain. Human experimentation is beneficial in the sense that it can it can provide factual information, advancements in the medical field, and how human experimentation will be beneficial in the future. To begin with, human …show more content…

During World War II, Jews were used as test subjects in order for Nazi doctors and scientists to see the human body’s reaction. In fact, “To test the human body’s resistance to cold, he would immerse prisoners (at least 300 of them0 in ice baths or force them to stay outside naked” (Jonathan Steinberg). Doctors were trying to observe the ways that the human bodies could react when pushed to the test, and though this seemed unethical, the advancements help individuals who lived in these hard climates. When the human body is pushed to the limit, it will take means necessary in order to survive. Doctors who performed these tests stated “…changes in core body temperature to inform rescue teams about the chances of survival for those in capsized boat accidents” (Steinberg). Though individuals thought that these tests were being made to inflict pain of the Jews, they were more necessary to prove if survival was able to happen to those exposed to freezing temperatures. Though individuals may say that being exposed to freezing weather may be cruel, the testing has helped individuals deem what is best fit to survive. Though these people may have been hurt during the experiments, others were able to survive because doctors knew how to handle the situation. Another testing that the Germans did was that the “…Air Force, evaluated the physiological response to low pressure, to inform pilots …show more content…

Though these tests may be considered unethical, it is close minded thinking. Tests have to be conducted on people to provide correct information to help individuals everywhere. Whether it be injecting a child with pus, exposing the human body to different conditions, or making vaccines to incurable diseases, it has aided individuals for a better future. These tests have provided pills, shots, and a better understanding of the human body. Human experimentation has widely impacted the lives of those who are living to this

Show More
Related
660 Words | 3 Pages

The high-altitude tests began prompt in 1942 at the Dachau concentration camp. To discover the capability of the human body to tolerate and persist high altitude, captives were placed in a low-pressure chamber where circumstances similar to an elevation of 68,000 feet could be replicated. Various inmates underwent death of severe injury as well as severe pain. An additional form of persistence and salvage tests was exposing the nude hostages to subzero temperatures for several hours. The victims underwent hypothermia and countless perished.

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

Medical Experimentation on Humans Medical Experimentation on humans is Extremely controversial for some people. Many people believe that Medical experimentation is extremely unethical. Unit 731 was an Extreme Experiment,” Around 14,000 victims, referred to as ‘logs’ by their captors and including at least eight Allied prisoners of war, were murdered in unit 731 between 1936 to 1945 ” (Hill).There was no exact number of how many people died when Unit 731 happened.

Read More
991 Words | 4 Pages

Dr. Mengele would also pour boiling water down their ears only to freeze it. All of the Ovitz’s survived (The Torture of the Seven Dwarfs of

Read More
1302 Words | 6 Pages

According to "dosomething.org", eleven million people were killed during the Holocaust included in that number about one million children were killed. There is a common misconception that the people who died in the concentration camps died of the gas chambers, but a portion of the eleven million were also experimented on. These experiments were especially gruesome because the SS doctors had the ability to kill and maim their test subjects. A plethora of these doctors would have their own special area of study, one Nazi doctor named Carl Clauberg worked with infertility and artificial children. The worst of the evil SS doctors is believed to be Josef Mengele, this man conducted experiments on children and although he used methods of calming to make the children feel more comfortable, he did not care if they lived or died.

Read More
693 Words | 3 Pages

Bettelheim explains “Nearly all prisoners suffered from frostbite which often led to gangrene and then amputation.” (Bettelheim, 30) This quote provides the reader with an uneasy picture making them

Read More
886 Words | 4 Pages

Human experimentation can be extensively characterized as anything done to a person to figure out how it will influence him. Its principle target is the procurement of new exploratory information instead of treatment. In the event that a trial is at last advantageous to others or even to the subject himself, this doesn't imply that treatment filled a critical need. Humans have long been used as subjects for a variety of experiments.

Read More
923 Words | 4 Pages

Honoring the Disgraced When thinking about the horrors of the Nazi regime, you shouldn’t overlook the benefits of Nazi medical experimentation on concentration camp victims. Although the tests performed by the Nazis are typically cast in a negative light, the papers detailing their findings are rich in useful information. However, in a misguided attempt to respect the dead, the medical community has ignored the documents that hold within them the ability to change the world for the better. If properly utilized, the data gathered from the Nazi experiments could impact the medical community on unforeseen levels, equipping multiple fields with knowledge that could potentially save many lives in dire circumstances, such as those with hypothermia,

Read More
599 Words | 3 Pages

These experiments were designed to provide Axis organizations with information that could benefit their soldiers such as how much seawater one could consume before acquiring disease. Ironically, in attempting to decrease Axis fatalities, thousands of Jewish people and other oppressed minorities such as homosexuals, gypsies, Slavic groups, and those with mental disabilities suffered through inhumane treatments that resulted in excruciatingly painful death. (USHMM “Nazi”) Although such

Read More
480 Words | 2 Pages

Freezing and hypothermia was in higher command, some could even be Nazi’s so that they could prepare for the cold weather on the Eastern front. Two kinds of freezing, icy vat or the victims would go outside naked, where there was below freezing weather. The ice vat was used for the healthier and stronger group of the Jewish and Russian population. The young person would have to strip naked to prepare for the experiment, then they would be

Read More
528 Words | 3 Pages

My name is Camila Anderson and I believe human experimentation is ethical. Human experimentation has been going on for hundreds of years, with a lot of knowledge learned, with lives saved. Thanks to human experimentation, the human lifespan has increased, infant deaths dropped by 75%, and diseases believed incurable are cured. Human experimentation has given us more knowledge about our bodies that animals nor technology could ever provide. One group of people can save an entire population.

Read More
922 Words | 4 Pages

Medical Research has the potential to advance society and make life better for everyone in it. However, the ends cannot justify the means; the rights of the subjects of research cannot be violated no matter the possible benefit to mankind. Despite this, time and time again, it has been very easy for, at least allegedly well-meaning scientists to violate the rights of their research subjects because they wanted to help society as a whole. Such experiments were not performed in secret by a minority of scientists; they were often done “by respected investigators at leading medical institutions and were published in medical journals (Scandals and Tragedies 3). " It is vital that we understand the circumstances of these experiments and why they happened so

Read More
509 Words | 3 Pages

The Reality of Animal Testing Many animals each year are killed due to cosmetic and drug testing, biology lessons, and plain experiments driven by curiosity. Many are placed in horrible conditions, inhale deadly toxins, and have their lives cut short. Many are separated from their families to participate in experiments that in fact do not lead to medical advances. Many individuals are unaware of other alternatives. Many of you might disagree with me today, but I am here to present why animal testing is unnecessary.

Read More
455 Words | 2 Pages

My debate team is arguing if human experimentation is ethical and I believe it is. I think It 's ethical because if they didn 't do any human experimentations millions of people would 've suffered. People often look at all the bad stuff that happened to people when they were experimented on,but don 't look at any of the of the good stuff and life saving stuff that has saved millions and millions of lives.people don 't take for granted for all the diseases that we don 't have to worry about any more because of what people did to solve those fearfully and deadly diseases that had been going on for centuries. Long ago for centuries before the vaccine for smallpox was invented in 1796,smallpox had killed millions of

Read More
463 Words | 2 Pages

Many people have different ideas on animal testing and if it is or is not appropriate for medical research. Many disagree, but there are some that think it’s necessary for testing to be done. Animal testing is necessary because it helps develop life saving medical treatments for not only humans, but animals, and it helps determine how medicine will react to the human body. Animal testing is appropriate for medical research because testing helps develop life saving medical treatments for humans. Without testing, scientist wouldn’t have found ways to help people with breast cancer or childhood Leukemia.

Read More
967 Words | 4 Pages

Animal testing is a phrase that most people have heard but are perhaps still unsure of exactly what it involve. Whether it is called animal testing, experimentation or research, it should be defined as all testing methods on animals including, medical exploration, cosmetics, toxicology trialing, and psychological examination involving animal subjects. It is used to assess the safety and effectiveness of medications and beauty products as well as understanding how the human physiology works. While supporters believe it is necessary practice, those against animal testing believe that it involves torture and suffering to animals. Medical research is the hardest case of proposition in the debate whether animal testing should be banned or not, since it has previously yielded substantial benefits for humanity.

Read More

More about Denis Diderot: The Ethicality Of Human Experimentation

Related Topics

Open Document