It’s Time for Organ Farms
Currently 70,000 Americans are on the organ waiting list and fewer than 20,000 of these people can hope to have their lives saved by human organ transplantation.1 As a result of this shortage, there has been a tremendous demand for research in alternative methods of organ transplantation. Private companies are racing to develop these technologies with an estimated market of six billion dollars.2 Xenotransplantation, or cross-species organ transplantation, appears to be the most likely solution in the near future, and cloned pigs are the main candidates. Pigs and humans have remarkable similarities in physiology, which along with cloning makes pigs strong possibilities for organ donors. A controversial alternative method involves the use of genetically altered headless human beings as organ donors. Although this method may not be developed for some years, scientists are already discussing the necessary technologies. Whether the solution is the cloning of a pig or a human, organ farms may provide us with a solution to our ever-increasing need for donors.
The theory behind transplanting porcine organs into humans is relatively simple. Humans and pigs have such similar physiologies that transplanted organs would behave the same ways in humans as they do in pigs. After the operation, it is just a matter of suppressing the immune system to prevent the organ's rejection. In fact, livers transplanted from pigs are already being used as temporary solutions for many people waiting for human donors.3 Unfortunately, "temporary" is the key word here. Porcine cells have a sugar not found in human cells, which the immune system recognizes and instantly attacks in what is calle...
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Thesis: I will explain the history of organ transplants, starting with ancient ideas before modern science until the 21st century.
In America, there are currently 122,198 candidates on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) waiting list (“OPTN”). Due to a lack of available organ donors, around 18 waiting list candidates will die every day (“OPTN”). This has prompted the development and investigation of xenotransplantation—the transplantation of animal tissue and organs to potential human candidates. Currently in its early phases of development and study, xenotransplantation is controversial for its high failure rate, with only a few cases successful. This is attributed to the human immune system rejecting those animal donated organs, thereby potentially causing immediate death to the human candidate. On the one hand, pre-clinical trials have broadened the understanding of the human immune system, as well as furthered xenotransplantation research. However, because xenotransplantation has achieved little success, opponents of the procedure argue that it is unethical to continue its practice. It is also important to note that trials often use baboons in place of humans, which presents several variables to be examined before further human trials can begin. Moreover, the potential acquisition of zoonotic infection is a serious risk that cannot be fully determined without the use of human subjects. Thus, not only will xenotransplantation require more extensive study, it will also require hundreds of animal lives, all in an effort to create nothing more than a last resort.
Within Symposium, Plato portrayed Love not as an idealization, but rather on the judgment that was made from Love’s control of the human body (lecture). One speech in particular, the one told by Aristophanes, presents an interest and mythical view on the concept of love. The love he describes is a dedication to the idea of soulmate love (lecture). Spherical people were being that were completely round, “they had four hands each, as many legs as hands, and two faces, exactly alike, on a rounded neck. Between the two faces, which were on opposite sides, was one head with four ears (Plato 25).” As these beings has more limbs and eyes than any god, they were considered too powerful which led to the god Zeus, splitting them in half. Once split, the beings began to die as they starved and became idle as they could not live without their other half (Plato 26-27). Aristophanes concluded that as their separation from one another was the cause to their deaths it was no less than a demonstration for the desire humans have to love one another, as stated on page 27, “This, then, is the source of our desire to love each other … heal the wound of human nature.” The perspective Aristophanes presents is about a fusion between one object - or individual, and the object of desire; love is about momentary intimacy both physical and emotional. Aristophanes presents the desire of the momentary intimacy that the human body craves in his speech by saying “ The purpose was this so that … they could stop embracing, return to their jobs, and look after their other needs in life (Plato 27).” This particular quote is important because it represents Aristophanes’ overall view that, human beings desire one another, they need one another; however, one they obtain their object of desire they are free to continue on with the rest of life’s
Schizophrenia is defined as a severe disabling mental illness. A person with this illness may be completely out of touch with what is going on around them. For example, the individual suffering from Schizophrenia may hear voices, see people who are not there (ghost in other words), and or feel bugs crawling on their skin when in actuality there are now. They may also have disorganized speech and behavior, physically rigid, emotionless, and delusions. The type of delusions where they believe that people are reading their minds, have control over their thoughts, and or plotting to hurt them. They have difficulty holding jobs and taking care of themselves.
Would clones understand themselves as creations or copies? Would cloning undermine the conception of a human being’s individuality? (Medicines’ Brave New World) Those are two of the most questioned aspects of human cloning. Everyone always wants to be their own person and have their own thought, basically, be as original as they can be. How original can you get when there’s someone out there thinking, doing, and looking exactly like you? Not very original, if you ask me. Human cloning, cloning of any kind, has been looked at as being creepy, scary, immoral, and in the most dismal way, exciting. Cloning of humans should be prohibited because it is offensive to the human life and religion.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder in which brain functioning is disrupted. People suffering from Schizophrenia are often unable to decipher what they are experiencing from reality. Although the person suffering from this particular illness could be highly educated and well spoken, their symptoms can make it near impossible to understand what is happening in the world around them. Some people suffer from intense audio and visual hallucinations, while others may experience slight delusions and are able to recognize the onset. Signs that usually indicate the onset of schizophrenia are not only audio and visual hallucinations, but also include delusions, thought disorder, and an inability to convey ideas and thoughts clearly to family and friends (Spearing, Melissa). The following is a look into the mindset and delusions of Susan K. Weiner, a woman who has suffered the affects of schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental disorder characterized by loss of contact with reality and disturbances of thought, mood, and perception. Schizophrenia is the most common and the most potentially sever and disabling of the psychosis, a term encompassing several severe mental disorders that result in the loss of contact with reality along with major personality derangements. Schizophrenia patients experience delusions, hallucinations and often lose thought process. Schizophrenia affects an estimated one percent of the population in every country of the world. Victims share a range of symptoms that can be devastating to themselves as well as to families and friends. They may have trouble dealing with the most minor everyday stresses and insignificant changes in their surroundings. They may avoid social contact, ignore personal hygiene and behave oddly (Kass, 194). Many people outside the mental health profession believe that schizophrenia refers to a “split personality”. The word “schizophrenia” comes from the Greek schizo, meaning split and phrenia refers to the diaphragm once thought to be the location of a person’s mind and soul. When the word “schizophrenia” was established by European psychiatrists, they meant to describe a shattering, or breakdown, of basic psychological functions. Eugene Bleuler is one of the most influential psychiatrists of his time. He is best known today for his introduction of the term “schizophrenia” to describe the disorder previously known as dementia praecox and for his studies of schizophrenics. The illness can best be described as a collection of particular symptoms that usually fall into four basic categories: formal thought disorder, perception disorder, feeling/emotional disturbance, and behavior disorders (Young, 23). People with schizophrenia describe strange of unrealistic thoughts. Their speech is sometimes hard to follow because of disordered thinking. Phrases seem disconnected, and ideas move from topic to topic with no logical pattern in what is being said. In some cases, individuals with schizophrenia say that they have no idea at all or that their heads seem “empty”. Many schizophrenic patients think they possess extraordinary powers such as x-ray vision or super strength. They may believe that their thoughts are being controlled by others or that everyone knows what they are thinking. These beliefs ar...
...hat in addition to the unconscious, to which he referred as the “personal unconscious”, there was also a deeper, more universal layer called the “collective unconscious”. According to Jung, the collective unconscious is a part of the human psyche that contains images, thoughts, and feelings shared by all human beings, organized in underlying patterns, and is modified by each person’s subjective experience (Stevens, 1990; Wedding, Corsini, & Dumont, 2008). Using his own ideas about the psychic structure, Jung began to develop his own theories about dream interpretation. Jung’s theories about dreams were heavily impacted by those of Freud; however, Jung thought that dreams were direct messages, and a natural expression of the unconscious. This was unlike Freud, who believed that dreams are disguised fulfillments of repressed wishes (Stevens, 1990; Lear, 2005).
The meaning of love is as intricate and unique as the purpose that it serves. It seems that the nature of love is found in the mind, the body and the soul. In Plato’s Symposium each member of the drinking party gives their own interpretation of love. As each speaker engages in their discourse, the concept of love is evaluated from different angles. According to Phaedrus, homoerotic love is the highest form of love and that sacrificing oneself for love will result in a multitude of rewards from the gods, while Pausanias believes that there are two forms of love: Commonly and Heavenly. As a physician, Eryximachus claims that love appears in every part of the universe, including plants and animals and that protection results from love. Before starting his speech, Aristophanes tells the group that his discussion about love may seem completely absurd, as he explains that in the beginning one body had two people who were eventually split in half by Zeus. This is meant to explain why people are constantly looking for their “other half”. Moreover Agathon, the poet the symposium is celebrating, critiques the previous speakers by stating that they failed to praise the god of love. He claims that love rejects feebleness and embraces youthfulness while also implying that love creates justice, courage and wisdom.
He believed that having dreams were a disruptive way to lead into your conscious state of mind. In 1900 Freud wrote a book, where he explained his theories and unconsciousness that lead to dream interpretations. Naming his first book Interpretations of Dreams, Freud altered the book at least eight times. Some people thought of Dr. Freud to be quite anal in his theories. Freud self-confessed that the unconscious mind was formed to focus on three anatomy structures- the ego, the super ego, and the i.d. The ego stored memories and thoughts, the super ego balanced the i.d’s behavior, and the i.d. mainly focused on sexually thoughts. According to Freud, “Insight such as this falls to one 's lot but once in a lifetime” (Freud, 1900). Which is an easier way to interpret that is, this kind of understanding only comes once in a lifetime. As Freud got deeper into his studies, he established a relationship with a younger peer by the name of Carl
“Transplanting animal organs into humans is feasible.” USA Today. November 1999: 54-55. Gehlsen, Gale M., Ganion, Larry R. and Robert Helfst.
Freud and Jung each had an important attitude on the subject of the unconscious mind. In the early days they generally agreed with each other. Then,
‘The Interpretation of Dreams’ by Sigmund Freud can be concluded that the unconscious mind can be expressed through dreams. As it is believed by his that it represents the fulfilment of wishes. Just as Freud’s ‘iceberg’ model of personality states the conscious is where we have contact with the outside world, the preconscious is material just beneath the surface of awareness and lastly the unconscious where this is difficult to retrieve the material as it is below the surface of awareness. The unconscious holds an individual’s experiences everyday as it is also known as the biological aspect of the mind. As Freud believed some thoughts and wishes are hidden in the unconscious and not made conscious.
Since the beginning of time, dreams have been a source of mysterious wonder amongst people. Everyone dreams, and those who claim they do not, do dream, however, they are unable to recall their dreams. Prior to psychological research, dreams were interpreted and explained as an unconscious desire, predictions, or subliminal messages. These outdated beliefs existed throughout time until new psychological research came into being. The new psychological research by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung gave rise to new dream theories that helped gain a greater understanding on dream interpretations.
Jung, C. On the Nature of Dreams. Jungian Psychology Articles Web Site. Retrieved January 30, 2000 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cgjung.com/articles/cgjdream.html