Posted by Steve on October 02, 2001 at 04:57:01:
In Reply to: Transplants From Pigs to People posted by James on October 01, 2001 at 20:41:19:
The AIDS epidemic apparently came from a single jump of H.I.V. from a chimp to a human. It may be unlikely that a pig virus could wreak such havoc in humans, but the potential is still there.
There is a basic tenet of bioethics known as the precautionary principle, meaning that when the exact risk to the public is unknown, scientists must prove that the technology is safe before embarking on clinical trials. This approach has not been taken with xenotransplantation.
The other troubling issue raised by xenotransplantation relates to cost. Who picks up the cost of another 10,000 heart transplants when pigs become viable donors?
There are more promising approaches down the road. We may see better artificial organs, or ways to regenerate our own organs. In 20 years we may be able to screen the pig genome and knock out all its viruses.
For now we need to heed the risks. The burden of proving that xenotransplantation is safe should be on the people who want to do it.
Jonathan S. Allan, D.V.M.
Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research
Virtually all the arguments used here support xeno. These is because these arguments have become shallow and meaningless.
First, with regards to HIV: Lets us suppose for a second that the DVM is correct about it jumping from a chimp to a human. Did this occur in a transplant setting? No it occurred as a natural consequence of man's contact with the animals. The same can be said of influenza epidemics. Now, if it is true that this occurs from natural contact, then how exactly does a transplant increase the already known risk? It does not increase risk it reduces risk.
The precautionary principle is the next tenet this DVM argues. Of course the precautionary principle is like the child’s imagination run wild. There may be a bogeyman around the next corner so don't go to the next corner. But, the problem is that the evidence states there is no bogeymen around the corner and will never be. Of all the people transplanted with pigs cells studied by the US government, none had any porcine retrovirus. None showed any disease associated with animals. Still according to this DMV the bogeyman may be around the corner. The same principle could be stated that with regard to contact with animals were it is known that problems have occurred. We should not be in contact with them because a bogeyman may be there. In fact we should not even have DVMs. All existing DVMs should be quarantined.
This is my favorite: Who picks up the cost of another 10,000 heart transplants when pigs become viable donors?
In other words, it is too expensive to save 20,000 lives and return their quality of life. What a revealing thing to say. Should we then stop all expensive medical procedures? This is plain dumb.
There are more promising approaches down the road. We may see better artificial organs, or ways to regenerate our own organs. In 20 years we may be able to screen the pig genome and knock out all its viruses. So we can have hundreds of thousands die because this DVM see this as a risk that is not worth taking. This is inane.
The burden of proving that xenotransplantation is safe should be on the people who want to do it. It is fine to suggest this but this DVM leaves nothing that will ever prove that the bogey man does not exist. Further his logic leaves it impossible to prove that they have never existed. Just like a child, it might be, don't you know. Of course then poor logic driving live saving research just may be around the corner also.