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Biomedical subjects

B Towers

Publications and source records attributed to B Towers.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

Medical experiments on human beings.

Throughout the scientific age it has been increasingly realised that the path to knowledge is through carefully-controlled experimentation. Medicine must never, however, treat human beings as objects, or as the means to achieving increased knowledge. Ultimately the goal of human evolution will be served by the willing collaboration of members of society in the advancement of knowledge through carefully planned experimentation. As of now, however, many safeguards must be built into the system to ensure that no exploitation occurs. Experimenters are charged with the task of designing the most ingenious experiments, to give maximum information with a minimum of trauma and always to ensure the fully informed consent of the participants. This paper was read to a conference on human rights in relation to forensic science organised by Centro Internazionale di Richerche e Studi Penale e Penitanziari, in cooperation with UNESCO, held in Messina, Italy, in March 1980.

Biomedical Research↗
PubMed1980

The quantity of natural surfactant necessary to prevent the respiratory distress syndrome in premature lambs.

Premature lambs at 118 to 122 days of gestation were delivered by caesarean section and received before the first breath 0, 19, 53 or 64 mg natural surfactant total lipid (TL) per kg body weight (BW). The seven lambs receiving no surfactant died within 40.1 +/- 7.5 min, whereas the lambs treated with surfactant survived the 2-hr experimental period. Nineteen mg surfactant TL per kg BW preserved lung function; the pH and blood gas measurements were similar to those measured in lambs receiving 53 mg TL per kg BW or more surfactant. Pressure volume and surface tension characteristics were significantly improved after the administration of 19 mg of surfactant, but surface activity was still poor when compared to lambs receiving 53 mg TL per kg BW or more surfactant. The dose of surfactant (53 mg TL per kg BW) that resulted in good surface activity measurements in vitjro was similar to other estimates of the amount of surfactant necessary to cover the alveolar space.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Consciousness and the brain: evolutionary aspects.

Self-reflective consciousness is distinguished from 'simple' awareness and from conscious awareness. Awareness is a fundamental property of living matter as it reacts to environmental stimuli. A hypothesis is advanced to account for the general phenomenon of decussation of nerve fibres in the central nervous system of vertebrates. This feature, the crossing over of nerve fibres to the opposite side of the brain, is interpreted as exemplifying the inherent caution of living forms. The evolution of increasing complexity of structure in spinal cord and brain is a prerequisite for increasing awareness of the environment and for increasing freedom from its constraints. Conscious awareness is manifested in living forms primarily when they are learning to respond either to new stimuli or to internal demands such as breathing and walking. The relegation of learnt activities to the realm of unconscious reflex allows for concentration on new and more complex responses, which leads to further freedom of action. The seeming simplicity of human thinking rests on the increasing complexity of the evolving brain and of appropriate responses learnt during phylogenetic development. The human brain and its thinking functions are basically trustworthy because they are rooted in biological evolution.

Amoeba↗