Two Edged Sword : War, Lethal Accidents, and Radioactive Technology.
War, lethal accidents, and radioactive
technology. These collection of words construct a very ironic meaning unlike
what the norm would think. While, there is some truth in that these three factors
have contributed greatly in degrading the qualities of human lives, it is also these
very factors that have stimulated the most dramatic development in medical
studies throughout the history. In other words, every victim related to these
three factors has contributed one way or another to set up the foundation that
is and will continue to save myriads of human lives.
When skimming through the heavy biology textbooks we are able to take glimpses
of pictures containing human anatomy. When looking at these pictures we are taken
aback at how detailed these descriptions are. While some might argue that these
were possibly due to the recent development of imaging techniques, these
pictures have been existing long before such imaging techniques have even been invented.
So what enabled such descriptions? The real reason lies in the inhumane actions
that have taken place during times of wars and colonization. The highly
detailed drawing of the human anatomy is actual eye to eye, first handily drawn
drawings of a dissected organs of captured hostages. A famous example of this
is the "Unit 731" associated in the Imperial Japanese Army that
undertook lethal human experiments during the Second Sino-Japanese
War(1937-1945) and WW2. It is said that they referred the each individual
person used in experiments with the term "log." Furthermore it is
said that the "Unit 731" undertook bisections with these
"logs" ,subjected to various diseases, without anesthesia. Although there is no doubt that these actions are outrageous, inhumane, and should not happen ever again, it is also true
that because of these actions we were able to know the exact anatomy of such
organs and the effects various diseases have on them. Hard to admit, but these
findings have helped us greatly throughout the years.
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| Unit 731 |
The lethal accidents have also contributed considerable amount in finding each functions of the human body. The basic logic is that when
an accident causes a particular part of the victim's body to lose its function,
doctors observe and test this victim and try to find a part of him that has
become abnormal. Thus conjecturing that the part of harm in the human body is
the place that manages the correlates failed function. Through repeated
observation doctors are able to conclude what particular function of a
particular body part manages. An example of this is the accident of one man(Phineas P. Gage) that worked in a construction site. One day a dynamite was set of at the wrong
time and a steel rod penetrated right through the man's skull, just where his
frontal lobe was located. Miraculously the man survived from that ordeal and
recovered. However, a very distinctive change occurred in his personality. Once
a man famous for his kindness and benign nature, this accident changed this
personality completely. The man began to demand such selfish requests, expressed
his immediate instinctive feelings, and became a very grouchy. Through such
observation along with other similar incidences, the researchers were able to
conclude that the main function of the frontal lobe was associated with human's
solution thinking and consciousness.
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| Phineas P. Gage |
While the development of radioactivity techniques have brought
upon the creation of nuclear bombs and other weapons that have stolen millions
of lives, other instruments made from such technology have made a surmountable
development in the field of medical research. Such example is the use of X-rays
and such machines called PET. Basically, these machines use the property of
radioactivity rays that they have short wavelengths and large energy that able
them to pass through the human body. On the other side of the origin of these
waves there are receptors that receive these waves and through complex algorithms,
computing the texture and state of the penetrated body, displays a digital
picture on the computer screen. This rather simple technique has enabled the doctors
to become aware of such diseases or injuries without the need of surgery, and a
higher accuracy in the overall diagnosis of a patient.
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| X-rays |
There is a saying that with brighter light
there comes a darker shadow. Such is the way of these three terms ; War, lethal
accidents, and radioactive technology. It is a fact that these factors have once brought upon undesired results to the
rest of the world, however it is also a fact that they have contributed in
saving millions of potential and present lives. Nothing is ever perfect. Such is true with our lives. While
some aspect of an objects or experiences might be beneficial, there are bound to be some unforeseen aspect about that factors that are causing more harm than good. Therefore it
all comes down to the user, us, who are capable of manipulating these subjects or objects. To diminish
the harms as much as possible and at the same time amplifying the benefits.
