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Biomedical subjects

Dónal P O'Mathúna

Publications and source records attributed to Dónal P O'Mathúna.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Human dignity in the Nazi era: implications for contemporary bioethics.

BACKGROUND: The justification for Nazi programs involving involuntary euthanasia, forced sterilisation, eugenics and human experimentation were strongly influenced by views about human dignity. The historical development of these views should be examined today because discussions of human worth and value are integral to medical ethics and bioethics. We should learn lessons from how human dignity came to be so distorted to avoid repetition of similar distortions. DISCUSSION: Social Darwinism was foremost amongst the philosophies impacting views of human dignity in the decades leading up to Nazi power in Germany. Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was quickly applied to human beings and social structure. The term 'survival of the fittest' was coined and seen to be applicable to humans. Belief in the inherent dignity of all humans was rejected by social Darwinists. Influential authors of the day proclaimed that an individual's worth and value were to be determined functionally and materialistically. The popularity of such views ideologically prepared German doctors and nurses to accept Nazi social policies promoting survival of only the fittest humans.A historical survey reveals five general presuppositions that strongly impacted medical ethics in the Nazi era. These same five beliefs are being promoted in different ways in contemporary bioethical discourse. Ethical controversies surrounding human embryos revolve around determinations of their moral status. Economic pressures force individuals and societies to examine whether some people's lives are no longer worth living. Human dignity is again being seen as a relative trait found in certain humans, not something inherent. These views strongly impact what is taken to be acceptable within medical ethics. SUMMARY: Five beliefs central to social Darwinism will be examined in light of their influence on current discussions in medical ethics and bioethics. Acceptance of these during the Nazi era proved destructive to many humans. Their widespread acceptance today would similarly lead to much human death and suffering. A different ethic is needed which views human dignity as inherent to all human individuals.

Animal Rights↗
PubMed2003

Quality assessment programs for dietary supplements.

BACKGROUND: In the US, consumers and healthcare professionals have been forced to depend on self-regulation by the dietary supplement industry for product quality, consistency, potency, and purity, a system that has yielded mixed results at best. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the current state of product quality verification in the dietary supplement industry and review recent developments and future plans to improve supplement safety and regulation. METHODS: Studies describing the quality of dietary supplements are reviewed, along with recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to improve supplement regulation. Several independent dietary supplement quality certification programs are described and evaluated. RESULTS: Quality control standards for dietary supplements run the gamut from good to nonexistent. Contamination, false labeling, and incomplete labeling are not uncommon problems--as are significant discrepancies in disintegration, dissolution, and in vitro release characteristics of various dietary supplements. The need for improved regulation has led to plans for increased FDA involvement through enforcement of good manufacturing practices and truths in labeling. Meanwhile, independent product certification companies have emerged and provide some reassurances; however, they possess several limitations as well. CONCLUSIONS: Until proposed FDA initiatives are finalized and implemented, certification programs can help provide assurances of safety and assist in product selection. Although they do not testify to effectiveness (and may even inadvertently mislead some consumers), certification programs may help curb what has been called "the Wild West nature of the dietary supplement industry."

Animals↗