Last week’s topic of Prion disease was very interesting to me, especially everything that was yet unknown about it and why it occurs. A seemingly healthy person suddenly begins to exhibit strange symptoms that have no obvious cause. Even though science has made many leaps in the study of genetics, Prion disease reminds us that we do not know everything about the human body as evidenced by the seemingly spontaneous malformation of prions that lead to Prion disease.
We see similar instances of unknown illnesses, whose existence are sometimes only revealing themselves to us now. This brings into question what we expect of science and scientists, if they cannot give us the answers that we are looking for right away. It was also interesting to look at the disease at an anthropological level as a way to understand diseases and their occurrences outside of the human body.
I completely agree with the question of our expectation of scientists. In researching Prion Disease, it seems as though we can make suggestions as to how this such disease could be transmitted through foods we eat; however the variation in human diet and the constraint on time and funds truly limits how much we can learn about every disease that comes about. In contrast, it is remarkable how fast of a response we can obtain for diseases such as the flu or H1N1.
Branching off of your comment about our expectation of scientists, especially when they are unable to deliver answers right away, I wonder if scientists and those who study diseases are asking the right questions that will produce the answers that expand our knowledge about diseases, and possible cures. I often wonder about whether the “right” questions are being which will allow the scientists to move forward in the process of discovering illnesses and treatments.