November 27, 2002
-
There are two main reasons why I could never be a doctor.
First of all I’m not very bright and my science scores particularly were unlikely to ever convince a medical school to grant me entrance.
But equally important to me is the fact that I wouldn’t want to have to do stuff on animals for research.
As much as I abhor it emotionally, pragmatically I have to accept the use of animals in necessary medical research until we’re able to come up with a better alternative. However personally, I just couldn’t do it. And I’ve often wondered how others can, so last week I asked a class of surgeons that I teach what their thoughts on the matter were. Their answer surprised me...
Actually, before I go into that, you ought to know a little about the Japanese approach to religion. In Japan there are two main forms of religion, Buddhism and Shinto. You all probably know a bit about Buddhism but possibly not about Shinto. As far as my knowledge extends on the subject, Shinto is an animist religion in the sense that it doesn’t have a particular god but recognises the presence of a divine force in all living things. Something like that but to be honest, if you ask most Japanese people to explain the
difference between the two they’ll hum and haw and tell you that Buddhism is used for funerals and memorial ceremonies and the like and Shinto is used for weddings and o-miyamairi, the Japanese equivalent of a christening.
As a rule of thumb, in Japan temples are Buddhist and shrines are Shinto. But apart from visiting them for their aesthetic values, few people here go to temples or shrines with a religious purpose, in the way that believers in other religions might celebrate their faith elsewhere. The thing is, to most Japanese people, religion isn’t a part of everyday life and this group of surgeons aren’t devout Buddhists or anything; I just wanted to clear that up first.
Well, when I asked them about it, they told me that as doctors they have to use animals, particularly rats and mice, for research from time to time. They don’t like having to do it but it’s a necessary part of their work. However, while not particularly religious, they do feel a sense of spiritual guilt and to atone for this, twice a year they go to a special animal shrine and pray for the souls of the animals who have died during the course of their research...
Now I don’t know about you, but knowing that they do that makes me feel a bit better about the whole thing....
..and here's something else to consider...
Comments (24)
1 i don't believe you're not bright
2 even if you're not bright, you've got heart.
3 i always wanted to be a doctor but i kept fainting at the sight of my own blood.
Personally, I go to the temples to take photographs and the shrines
(particularly the ones above the Uguisidani [sp?] tunnel) to exercise.
There is one grade on that hill that is a fifteen minute lunge.
I'm a bit of a heathen that way.
I teach a group of gynecologists who go to a special baby shrine to
pray for the fetuses they have aborted once a month.
One of them admitted she thought it was more ritual than religion, but said the nurses at her clinic threatened to quit if she didn't go.
They thought it was bad luck.
You lost me with the David and Venus tale....
Oh, and I could have been a doctor.
If I had any discipline at all.
The Prof was still trying to get me to go into medicine as recently
as my 27th birthday. Hmm, I guess that doesn't really qualify as "recent."
The blood was a non-issue; I used to offer to dissect my squeamish
friends' frogs and fetal pigs. I've got enough curiousity about the inner
workings of things that I can detach myself from the physical ickiness.
Plus, I have been witness to both an autopsy and an exhumation...
the latter of which is a long story that I will tell you someday soon.
I think you make a lovely teacher.
I'm in the biomed industry and we do use animals for research and development purposes. It is not a part of the job that anyone cares for at all, but law makes it necessary: no animals = no products. It is illegal to use a device or drug on a human for research. It is a difficult position to be in. Society doesn't want to suffer so they demand the products, yet they don't want animals being used in research.
If it makes any difference, the people that are hired by my employer (one of the largest biomed companies in the world) to handle and care for the animals are carefully screened for past incidents of animal abuse. And as conflicting as it may sound, the animals are well cared for.
Where I live in Seattle, a native American bus-driver accidently hit a deer with the bus while they were driving, and to the amazement of the passengers, instead of freaking out or getting upset, he got out, knelt down, and prayed/chanted for the soul of the deer.
I believe, personally, that all living things are connected.
I was going to become a doctor...but then the darndest thing happened...I became a Mom. Now I'm a doctor and a nurse!!!
Have a great Thanksgiving Bob!
~Maria
I like the story about the docs' reaction to animal research. Very nice.
Thanks for the enlightening me .... wonderful story and interesting concept on the stone statues ~smiles~
That's kinda' cute. Never thought about research and cute would be in presence of the same thought.
That's something about Japan I find hard to explain to a lot of people. Sure there are two traditional religions, but they are really religions so much as just another aspect of the culture. Like you said, funerals and weddings.
I had a dream about eating dog last night... I couldn't do it. I wouldn't damn the people who did, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Which is a Korean issue, not a Japanese one, but somewhat related to using animals in ways were're not entirely comfortable with.
what, was i the only one who thought the poem was chuckle-icious? fine. i'm just base that way.
interesting slice of life as always, mr. left nut. now if you'll excuse me, i have to go proposition a ski resort owner...
Hmm.. technically, not all doctors personally conduct experiments on animals, but I know what you mean.. my mum's a vet and I don't think I could even handle that. (The temptation to physically attack some of the utter imbeciles who have no business owning animals would be far too great for me, and I'm fairly confident I'd wind up on assault charges before too long.)
There are conflicting reports on the efficacy of animal testing.. Different animals (and I include humans in that) respond to chemicals and drugs in different ways, creating the need for human testing after exhaustive testing on animals anyway. And then you have the reverse situation ~ had aspirin been tested on cats alone, a useful drug with multiple benefits would never have made it to market because of the violent reaction felines have to it.
On the other hand.. I've had my heart broken pretty comprehensively by the threat of losing someone I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with to cancer. I hated it and it was driving me crazy, but in that scenario I had to allow that animal testing might allow scientists to come up with treatments that might have helped him.
Heh.. there are some days I wish I could see stuff in black and white.. because all that grey in the middle makes things so much more complicated!
For what it's worth, though, I think you'd have been a great doctor, 'cuz that Antiques Roadshow bedside manner with tea and jaffa cakes (LOL, we got jaffa cakes in our hotel rooms
) was exactly what I needed last night!!!
everyones entitled to be their own person. i for sure can never be anywhere close to majoring towards the medical field, lol. yer right about science scores cause i suck in science, ha! so im stuck being an ARTIST for life. i gotta admit, i love it. its my passion. thought yer entry was awesome. happy thanksgiving.
I could never be a doctor because I hate blood...and rats. Ew.
Wow - who knew?
So how are things going with you and Mrs. BLN? I swear, I still think about that recording you left for us. Am I pathetic or what?
inneresting!!
I watched Apocalypse Now tonight with a friend and my dad. The both of us, although wanting to know more about all that happened in the movie, were most concerned about the puppy that went missing at one point. Argh, I'm so... like that. Even if it's a movie, I get pretty upset when any kind of animal is portrayed as being injured or killed. I commonly take loose animals to the pound, and sometimes check up on them to make sure they have a home... if they don't, they get put to sleep, and that makes me sooo upset
Anyways, great post...
I don't think I could ever do research on animals, either. A little too disturbing...
I wanna be a doctor, or maybe a vet, not sure yet.
Your site is very intriguing... I like the hedgehog, well done!
(I love the poem, btw
)
I agree with you.. I dont think I could do it, but I understand the need for it, sort of. And that's interesting, about the japanese doctors...
I'll start leaving little incense sticks next to my old dog's house, although we never tested anything on him. And my parents will start to wonder where the hell they went wrong with me.
i am pre med now and i totally hear ya on this one. it's just sad when the wrong people get admitted into medical school, no?
praying for the souls of animals they had to kill for research makes me feel better as well. jainism is an interesting religion, where the killing of animals, even insects, is forbidden. i've heard that the religion's monks walk around with brooms just to make sure that they're sweeping away any microscopic animals so as to prevent killing!
Did Simon Drew do the illustrations/cartoons for Monty Python?
Comments are closed.