The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.
SMJ // Article
Spirituality/Medicine Interface Project
The Sound of Science: The Power to Bless or to Burn
Abstract
Throughout history, but particularly over the course of recent years, advances in the biomedical sciences have granted humankind an ever-greater understanding and mastery over itself. In this perpetual revolution, perhaps there has been no greater chapter than that of the much-heralded “Promethean promise”1 of stem cell research. However, while its promise and potential are marvelous, it is feared—and not without reason—that an essential part of what it is to be human may be lost in seeking to control this new-age fire. On the other hand, deciding not to pursue such research runs contrary to human nature and to the best that humankind has to offer: in not engaging in stem cell research, a certain dimension of humanity very well may never be discovered and, tragically, the great potential which stem cell research offers would never come to be. It would seem, therefore, that the crucial issue is not so much whether stem cell research should be pursued, but how and to what extent.This content is limited to qualifying members.
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