In the past week, the final research method we studied was experimental research. We learned that when conducting experimental research, the researcher has to have and experimental group and a control group. Usually within the experiment, the experimental and control group have all the same variables expect one difference, and that depends on what the researcher is trying to test in their study. When the participants do not know what is being tested and the researcher does, this is called a blind study. However, when neither the researcher or the participants know what is actually being tested, this is called a double blind study.Experimental research is extremely popular in the medical field. The United States especially is known for our many scientific breakthroughs in medicine. Why do you think this is? In the United states over 50% of people are on a prescription drug, and when a person gets sick in our country, what do they do? They pop a pill and expect to feel healthy again. Well this would not be possible if experimentation did not occur in the medical field. The most popular experiment that takes place in the medical field is when it comes time to testing a new drug. A blind study is usually conducted where one group receives the new medicine and does not know, and the other group receives the same pill, however that is the control group, and their pill is diluted with water or sugar instead. This is done simply to test the different results that occur between the experimental group and the control group and discover if the actual new medicine works, and what its side effects are, if any at all.
Then we ask ourselves, is conducting experiments a humans with medical drugs that have not been tested before even ethical? The risks and dangers that come along with experiments done for medical benefit are extremely high. The article I found does a great job debating between the ethics of medical experimentation and all the new cures that have been found because of it.
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