Science is cruel

there's this scientist, who wanted to prove that his discovery was indeed right, delibrately drank pathogen-infested-water to induce gastric ulcer in himself. he contracted the disease (as what he wanted) but he won the nobel prize for his work on demystifying the role of bacteria on gastric ulcer and cancer development. the news came to me as a shock. i can understand his depression when his idea was turned down by seniors in his field and ignored by the public, but it's really ridiculous to use himself as a guinea pig for that kind of life-threatening experiment. i doubt one should applaud for his considerable contributions to the medical world.

i still remember the story of the discovery of vaccine 200 years ago. Jenner, the pioneer in immunology, injected cow serum into his servant's son to induce the production of a specific kind of antibodies that can later be used to combat smallpox pathogens. then he infected the boy with smallpox pathogens to observe his body response. the child survived and he discovered the first vaccine. the event was a milestone in the history of immunology, it marked the evolving of a new branch of science. but the ethics involved is still open for debate nowadays. if a person's sacrifice can save the whole population, shall we disregard his rights and unwillingness and make him to sacrifice?