Are Surgical Robots really the Future of Medicine?

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Knowledge is a basic fundamental right of today’s society. Individuals from across the globe strive to take their intentions one step further for reasons such as recognition, money, or the satisfaction of learning new things. There are no limits to learning new things since there is always new information that shapes our understanding of the specific topic; therefore, there is no one to question why one wants to build their knowledge, since it can only be a benefit to society. When Edward Jenner came up with the first vaccine to cure smallpox, society didn’t frown upon the fact that hundreds of Americans were saved from this deadly disease. In fact, they paid him millions of dollars to continue making the vaccines. From the 1700s to present day, our pursuit of knowledge has increased dramatically and has pushed the limits even further to discover new, advanced technologies. We, Americans, put efficiency in front of responsibility, and ultimately, face the consequences. A key example includes the use of surgical robots. These machines do increase efficiency and, at the same time, decreases the severity of the aftermath. However, when it comes to a human life at stake on an operating table, can technology really come to the rescue?
Surgical Robots have increasingly become common in many hospitals across the country. The most common of the robots used in the medical field is the da Vinci system. The da Vinci system is “a three- or four- armed robot that surgeons operate with hand controls in a computer system several feet from the patient” (Tanner). But can the skills of a surgeon be so easily replaced by a machine? Though there are many benefits to saving time in surgeries, the cost of a human life is not worth the efficiency to sa...

... middle of paper ...

...an instrument that is more advanced than it should be in our current state of knowledge in the area.

Works Cited
Andrews, Michelle. "Questions Arise About Robotic Surgery's Cost, Effectiveness." Kaiser
Health News. N.p., 23 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Guthrie, Patricia. "Robotic Surgical System Under Scrutiny." Canadian Medical
Association Journal: n. pag. Science in Context. Web. 17 Apr. 2014
Tanner, Lindsey. "Robot Hot Among Surgeons but FDA Taking Fresh Look." Lincoln Courier.
09 Apr. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 25 Apr. 2014
Mironov, Vladimir. "The future of medicine: Are custom-printed organs on the horizon? Medical researchers are creating robots that can bioprint new tissue and organs directly into patients' bodies while performing surgery--without assistance from doctors." Futurist Jan. 2011: n. pag. Science in Context. Web. 20 Apr. 2014

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