The No-Risk Cure

Don’t you absolutely hate it when just one class can ruin practically your entire afternoon? It happened to me today on the first day back at Marquette University. My afternoon was going quite well prior to my Biology for Non-Science Majors class. In fact I met Coach Tom Crean outside the Alumni Union on my way to class and was able to get a picture taken with him, which I hope to post here in the next day or so. Anyway, science has never been my subject. I can pass the course easily enough but I can guarantee you that I would be hard-pressed to receive an ‘A’ in any science class, so it likely won’t happen. With this in mind I was not enthusiastic on going. I can easily say that after only one class my enthusiasm has not improved and likely won’t through the rest of the year.

One problem I had with Dr. Lalitha Ramamoorthy who teaches Introduction to Biology for Non-Science Majors at Marquette University was her explanation as to how she will discuss the subject of evolution later on in the year. I have no problem whatsoever with the subject of evolution being taught in schools. In fact I believe in the concept of evolution but I also am a creationist and believe thoroughly that God created life on Earth. Evolution, according to her syllabus, will be limited to Darwinism and that alone. The concept of Creationism will not even be touched upon. Whether this is due to the limited amount of time we may have on each subject throughout the semester or something else, Creationism, particularly at a private college institution like Marquette University, even if it is run by Jesuits, should at least be touched upon.

The other issue I had with her was the way in which she blamed pharmaceutical companies for the string of problems involving prescription medications and their side effects. Emphasizing that they are out for the quick buck, she claims there is a severe suppression of data. What suppression of data? Have you ever seen a commercial for a prescription drug on television before? They take thirty seconds at least to describe all the side effects which may be caused by the medication and advises that certain individuals not take it for those reasons. If anyone is suppressing data it’s the doctors hiding behind doctor/patient confidentiality. How can we not release a drug when the conditions of nine-hundred and seventy-five out of one-thousand patients improve with the assistance of the prescription medication and twenty-five do not? There is never going to be a time when prescription medication will exist with no risks or side effects to them whatsoever. People believing there is such a thing as a no risk cure or that it is even fathomable are naïve and overly idealistic in their perception of science.