Human Rights at Home and Abroad: Past, Present, and Future

protected with an experiment makes everything else run smoothly. Some may ask, even with the safety of
the test subject, and their consent, why would someone want to be a part of experimental tests? Many
individuals have a natural curiosity and want to be a part of the discovery of new technologies that could
potentially save thousands of individuals. Plus, most test subjects are paid for their participation. The
benefits of an individual as a test subject can vary. Test subject want to volunteer to experimentation to
help further research for the benefit of saving lives. Other participants can participate just to receive
payment. Although many people agree with human testing, many can still view volunteers of the
experiments as guinea pigs that are letting scientists take over their bodies for no good reason.
Experiments are conducted every day to help promote better health to the public. Scientists and
medical professionals are always eager to learn more and research, but throughout history, scientists were
hesitant to participate in human testing because they wanted to avoid the controversies and legal troubles
they may face. The ability to gather information from a human subject was ideal, but many scientists
could not find participants who wanted to volunteer. Also, scientists and medical professionals did not
know the outcomes of their experiments and did not want to put anyone in danger. What was their
solution? They decided to take their experiments and perform them on their own bodies. They are
classified as the ‗guinea-pig scientists‘. Technically, since they are performing dangerous experiments,
and the result is unknown, they are violating their own human rights. Knowing the risks that could
potentially kill them, they decided to proceed anyway. The risk of the experiments was very high since
most were injecting themselves with vaccines, illnesses, and strange substances including bugs! These
scientists wanted to know if their hypotheses were accepted or rejected right away.
Although human testing can be an efficient way to conclude if an experiment succeeds or fails,
scientists testing on themselves can be seen as a less threatening way to harm the public through human
experimentation. Mel Boring and Leslie Dendy explain in their book Guinea Pig Scientists:
It is clear that guinea pig scientists are still with us, still curious and determined and concerned
for others. They are the bold ‗test pilots‘ in the world of human body science. With more science
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