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Scientific Community's Rights
Elin Bommenel said,
"While science had to profile itself as being shielded from political interests in order to be credible, it was not objective in practice. It is part of politics and society. This was politically useful. In 1957 a major campaign was started to prevent tooth decay. The Vipeholm researchers' findings still hold up. In fact, we have them to thank for the excellent dental heath that Swedes now enjoy. The price was paid by the patients with rotten teeth."
Patient's Rights
Determination of Treatment
"Recommendations regarding mental health and substance abuse treatment shall be made only by a duly licensed/certified professional in conjunction with the individual and his or her family as appropriate. Treatment decisions should not be made by third party payers. The individual has the right to make final decisions regarding treatment."
Accountability
"Treating professionals may be held accountable and liable to individuals for any injury caused by gross incompetence or negligence on the part of the professional. The treating professional has the obligation to advocate for and document necessity of care and to advise the individual of options if payment authorization is denied.
Payers and other third parties may be held accountable and liable to individuals for any injury caused by gross incompetence or negligence or by their clinically unjustified decisions."
Society's Rights
David Hume
Not only did the experimenters abuse the ethical rights of those involved, but companies manufacturing sweets donated tons of chocolate, caramel and money to fund the experiment. Although not much was known about tooth decay and its links back then, the ethical dilemma still persists. When the results were recorded, the confectionery companies that donated their goods did not want the notes released. It is rumored the test was not released for another four years because the industry funding the experiment paid off the scientists.
David Hume, on certain levels, understands the experiment and the knowledge it has provided, but is aware of the boundaries it crossed morally and ethically. For what he calls theoretical reason, the test was positive because it answered questions, which is the entire goal of theoretical reason. For practical reason, the experiments violated many human rights. Hume would have said the experiment was based on judgments of value instead of judgments of fact; “…A mere awareness of facts is powerless to move one to act.”
Edward O. Wilson
Although Nietzsche believes justice doesn’t exist, Edward O. Wilson quotes Robert Nozick as saying: “Individuals have rights, and there are things no person or group may do to them (without violating their rights)” (386). The patients had their rights completely overlooked with no moral implications whatsoever.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Aristotle
“…Man cannot be made responsible for anything, neither for his nature, nor his motives, nor his actions, nor the effects of his action. And thus we come to understand that the history of moral feelings is the history of an error, an error called “responsibility”, which in turn rests on an error called “freedom of the will” (253). Nietzsche would probably just shrug off the experiment as far as responsibility for the subjects is concerned.
“Virtuous acts require conscious choice and moral purpose or motivation. Man has personal moral responsibility for his actions.” The scientists running the experiment had their own reasons for the test, only related to the destruction of one man’s property. This could also be applied to the companies that, if true, paid off the scientists to withhold the experiment’s results. They had different motives, only related to their own well-being.
By:
Katelin Renfro
Robert Robertson
Kyle Bliquez
What is the Vipeholm Experiment?
An experiment using several different types of carbohydrates including bread, toffee, caramel, and chocolate. Subjects were fed these foods in excessive amounts in order for the researchers to observe the amount of tooth decay over the two year period of the experiment.
Works Cited
Abel, Donald C. Theories of Human Nature: Classical and Contemporary Readings. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992. Print.
American Psychiatric Association. "Patient Bill of Rights." Patient Bill of Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://healthyminds.org/Main-Topic/Patient-Bill-of-Rights.aspx>.
American Psychiatric Association. "Patient Bill of Rights." Patient Bill of Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://healthyminds.org/Main-Topic/Patient-Bill-of-Rights.aspx>.
Ng, Adabelle. "Cariology." Search Results -. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://cariology.wetpaint.com/page/Vipeholm%20Study?t=anon>.
"Full-scale Experiment Designed to Bring about Tooth Decay." - Dental Health -. N.p., 31 Mar. 2006. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. Web.http://www.health.am/ab/more/full_scale_experiment_designed_to_bring_about_tooth_decay
"Sugar Experiments Of Mental Patients, 1947-1949, Sweden." Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 02 Apr. 2006. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/40759.php>.
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The Government
Medical Board & Researchers
The government approved the Medical Board for their vitamin research project but the Medical Board switched to testing tooth decay with carbohydrates without informing the government.
The Medical Board and the ones actually conducting the research worked together to conduct this experiment under the government's nose. The experiment was designed to observe the correlation between carbohydrate intake and tooth decay.
Subjects
From 1947-1949, a group of mental patients were used as subjects in a full-scale experiment designed to bring about tooth decay. They were fed copious amounts of candy. By 1949, 50 of the 660 people whose teeth were studied were completely rotted.