Medical Ethics

No. I was just responding to the article.I did have an uncle who was denied a chance to participate in a clinical trial for a cancer drug. His birthday came and went while he was waiting for some marker to reach a certain point. As a result he was disqualified. I have no idea if the drug would have helped but I do remember how disappointed he was.

Thanks Taq that was an informative link.

Cheers.It basically says that you are going to be criticized no matter who you give the drugs to and that they should have conducted some kind of limited trial with the supplies that they did have.

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and while most people would want to do something rather than nothing, the decision about gaining access is more in the hands of the drug manufacturer than the would-be subject.

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Your source is a Washington Post editorial.It turns out that there was enough ZMapp for a hand full of treatments. A couple of American health care workers got doses, as did a couple of African health care workers. By all reports, there isn't any more of the drug available at any cost. So to whom would you have given those doses? And more to the point, even if you would have done things differently, what are your objections to what actually happened, and why should you have a say?There is an ethical issue here, but I think it can be attributed to the priorities set for developing a treatment for Ebola itself. As long as Ebola stays confined to remote areas on the African continent, developing a cure simply is not a priority. And despite the huge threat Ebola running rampant in African presents to the rest of us, neither business nor government made this an appropriate priority. Yes there are some general ethics problems with the way drugs are developed. But cost is not being used to ration out Ebola treatments right now.

So one of the Americans that was flown home, given 21st century medical care including one of the only 20 or so doses of the drug has recovered and left hospital.And what does he do? He thanks God for his survival.US Ebola patient Kent Brantly 'thrilled to be alive' - BBC NewsHe doesn't thank the science and human care that ensured his survival or criticise god for killing thousands and threatening the lives of more, no, he thanks god for HIS survival and those people who prayed for him.Unbelievable.

Have you followed this guy at all until now? He's totally dedicated to helping those he was sent BY GOD to help, to the point of risking his own life and putting others before himself at every turn. So he had the benefit of being a westerner and getting the best possible treatment and you begrudge him that? Of COURSE he thanks God. God allowed us to develop the science, God allowed him to be brought home to receive it. OF COURSE he thanks God. You'd prefer that one of those twenty doses went to a patient who couldn't do anything to help anybody?abe: And keep in mind he was a sort of guinea pig for this treatment too as it hadn't been tested, and they aren't even sure if that's why he recovered.Edited by Faith, : No reason given.

Welcome back Faith. Charming as ever.

For most of us, it makes more sense to thank the doctors and researchers who saved your life. Just sayin'.

That's a completely unfair characterization. The article quotes very little of what Dr. Brantly actually said and it would be totally unfair to just assume he said nothing about the science and care based on this article. Take another look at the few words attributed to Brantly in the article.Dr. Brantly is quoted as saying

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"Today is a miraculous day," said Dr Brantly, who appeared healthy if pallid as he addressed reporters on Thursday at Emory University hospital.

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"I am thrilled to be alive, to be well, and to be reunited with my family. As a medical missionary, I never imagined myself in this position."

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Perfectly innocent.The thanking of God was done by Franklin Graham.

You need to play the video to hear what he actually says. In that he is says that God saved his life specifically. Miraculously, too boot.He does, however, talk about the care and help he had from others but spoils it by saying that god was working through them. In other words, his survival was all down to god saving HIM.All that aside, my main point was that all the talk by him and others is about how God is this marvellous creature that saved the life of an individual through prayer and not a thought about the fact that this same God is - using the same logic - causing or allowing thousands of others to die. It's doublethink at it's very highest.

With access to modern medicine the mortality rate is about 10%.

I see you've edited out your insults. I can't decide whether that's cowardly or gracious. I'm assuming cowardly for the lack of apology. God creates ebola, kills thousands, sends in a priest to help, allows him to get the infection then changes his mind because of prayer and miraculously allows him to recover. Isn't a more reasonable explanation that ebola attacks indiscriminately and Western care and drugs saved him? Please show were I begrudge him treatment. He's entitled to the best help we can provide. You're up to your usual trick of avoiding the issue by raising straw men. There you go again....please concentrate on what was said and not what you invent to distract from the argument.

I'm trying to understand what it is you find objectionable. The doctor was a Christian, and would not have been in contact with Ebola save for the fact that he put himself in harms way to help other people. He thanks God and everyone else for his recovery, which cannot be all that strange or unexpected.I don't understand why atheists don't chalk things like this up to superstition.

Are you sure? Because the estimates I've seen are 50-60%. Would you take a drug that had been tested only on apes if your chances for recovery without the drug were 90%?

Faith. I think you should have deleted just a tiny bit more, as this last phrase is just plain pathetic and shameful. I understand completely your point about the doctor thanking the God, but I don't share your view that everbody on the African continent is a complete waste of skin save a doctor or two.