the early medical research

Early scientists may have benefited from more active research into the origin of health and illness, like Fracastoro's theories on infectious disease, rather than the nature of celestial bodies.

When considering the adverse consequences of a plethora of illnesses that have continually afflicted the human race, one wonders if science should have done more to alleviate human misery. This concern is perhaps best expressed in the notion that mankind would have benefited if early scientists had focused their efforts on the dynamics of health and disease, like Fracastoro's theories on infectious disease, rather than the nature of celestial bodies. More financial support should have been allocated to medical study rather than the study of celestial bodies.

Arguments in Support of the Statement

In support of the statement, proponents would argue that the allocation of significant financial resources to research on celestial bodies has hindered possible research that could have been made on medical investigations.  

To prove the point, proponents of this argument cite a variety of diseases that are currently incurable. For instance, some argue that it is surprising that in twenty the-first-century we still have sluggish progress in deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS and Malaria (Dearman, 2016). Of course, Malaria can be treated in its earlier stages, and antiretroviral drugs can improve the symptoms of HIV/AIDS. Up to date we do or have curative drugs for these diseases that have devastated the globe for decades. Immunization against such diseases would have been more beneficial for humanity because it would result in fewer complications that are typical of diseases advancing to dangerous stages. Instead of scientific research fully devoted to getting the cure, some financial resources should be allocated to finding the vaccines for the diseases.

Their argument roots on the idea that there is not a cure for this considerable host of diseases currently affecting human beings because they have not been researched adequately. For instance, it is ironic that governments allocate massive resources for space research rather than devoting more support into medical research. Governments spend a lot of money building iconic structures instead of financing the specific initiatives that would assist scientists in getting the cure or vaccines for such diseases. If resources were instead diverted towards medical research, it is then reasonable to believe that considerable progress in the medical fields would have already been made to develop cures for more diseases. It would be much more beneficial if governments work closely with researchers and finance the specific activities that can help get the cure and vaccines for diseases.

Proponents of the statement also argue that by investigating of celestial bodies rather than the nature of health and disease, scientists disappointed humanity by diverting valuable time to less important concerns.

Among all the members of the human race, scientists are the individuals who are best placed to assist humanity to solve its pressing issues. More than anyone else, they have the technical knowledge, experience, and capacity to investigate issues from the scientific perspective that the rest of humanity lacks. According to Rosenzweig (2016), all the species are primarily concerned with self-preservation through reproduction, a natural process extremely dependent on human health. Consequently, it follows that scientists should prioritize by applying their intellectuals to discover better methods of managing human health.

Human beings have always been concerned about their physiological well-being. In fact, it is for this reason that the medical fields emerged and developed into what they are today. However, some early scientists were a disappointment to humanity. Allocating too much of their intellectual resources and time to the study of planetary bodies may have potentially hindered medical advancement. If they could discover so much of what existed in space, they arguably would have made similar accomplishments in medicine. Perhaps, humanity would already have cures for much more diseases than it already has.

Arguments Against of the Statement

First of all, opponents have implied that early scientists have unconsciously worked against human’s well-being and may criticize the argument because it is overly simplistic and fails to capture the broader needs of the human race. The world has witnessed remarkable improvements in medicine. Scientific research has fruitful led to discoveries of numerous curative drugs and vaccines. Hundreds of deadly diseases such smallpox, yellow fever, Ebola, and many others have been contained through the discoveries made by medical scientists. Such achievements did not happen by chance but instead by the commitment by the researchers to conversantly understand the nature of the disease before determining its cure based on the characteristics of the causative agents.

Space research, for instance, has contributed valuable information about potential threats existing outside the earth’s atmosphere. Modern science has built on previous studies conducted by early scientists to discover previously unknown causes of some medical condition. For example, modern science has revealed that radiation from the sun can cause some skin cancers and suggested ways in which individuals can protect themselves (Kim & He, 2014). Additionally, space research has revealed the presence of celestial objects, such as asteroids and meteors that has threatened the existence of the human race.

Acceptably, scientists should express concern about the health of the human race and work towards its realization through medical research. However, health is just one aspect of human life and should not consume all scientific interest and research. There are more equally pressing concerns, such as the safety of the human race which is one of many concerns of celestial research.

Secondly, the statement can be contested because space research has actually contributed invaluable knowledge to the field of medicine. Research has led to acquisition of new ideas and knowledge of the field of medicine. The better part of it is how the researches have stayed continuous over a long time. While some of the medical researchers initiate new research projects, others have the passion in certain areas and decide to carry on previous researches and make new discoveries in such areas. The continuous researches in medicine have benefitted humanity to great extends. Although there is not a cure for deadly diseases like HIV/AIDS, there have been major advancements and the diseases is no longer considered a deadly disease patients suffering from it can now live longer, thanks to the discovery of the ARVs.

According to the National Aviation and Space Agency (NASA), it has been proven that some medical research activities can only be performed in space. To this effect, the International Space Station (ISS) has partnered with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to collaborate on medical research (Medlineplus.gov, 2017). Such collaborations indicate the level of commitment the medical scientists have in their various fields. The partnerships have also helped researchers to expand research fields by including the space.

Studying celestial bodies is a much broader concern than what the opponents had suggested, apart from studying the nature of objects in space, scientists have been trying to discover solutions to humanity’s problems that could potentially lie in space. With the space included as resourceful areas in medical research, the scientists showed the dire commitment to help humanity as much as they could. Although the critics may fail to agree with it, early scientists did a lot with the limited technology at their disposal.

Conclusion

Ultimately, humanity could have benefited more if early scientists focused on issues of health rather than celestial bodies. Scientists should allocate their resources and time on medicine that would improve human health. Many early scientists did not devote to the field of medicine. Many were concerned with the study of the forces of nature and the chemical components that make the earth. Such devotion to the physical earth at the expense of medical research cost humanity a lot as it let to the development of new illnesses for example, diseases caused from radioactive reactors. Such diseases went unnoticed for a long time. Today, there are more diseases without cure or vaccine than there were in the past. The high number of diseases in the present day than they were in the past elaborates how the early scientists did not do much to curb the diseases.

References

Dearman, C. (2016). Mark Dybul, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Student BMJ, 24.

Kim, I., & He, Y. Y. (2014). Ultraviolet radiation-induced non-melanoma skin cancer: Regulation of DNA damage repair and inflammation. Genes & Diseases, 1(2), 188-198.

Medlineplus.gov. (2017). Space The New Medical Frontier / NASA Spinoffs Milestones in Space Research | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine. [online] Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/magazine/issues/fall07/articles/fall07pg4-7.html [Accessed 21 Jun. 2017].

Rosenzweig, M. L. (2016). On the evolution of extinction rates. Evolutionary Ecology Research, 17(6), 835-847.