Top Secret Science in Medicine

Top Secret Science in Medicine looks at the good, the bad, and the ugly in medical and pharmacological research. Historic breakthroughs that have benefitted humanity, as well as abuses of ethical research practices, are highlighted in chapters titled “The Cutting Edge”, “Medicine and War”, “Experimentation”, “Brain Work”, “Pushing the Boundaries” and “What Next?”.

Every double-page spread throughout the book includes a section titled either “Dark Science Secrets” or “Tomorrow’s Secrets”. Canadian statistics and examples are used in a variety of topics. One missed opportunity to mention Canada’s medical contributions is in a section describing diabetes research.
Tomorrow’s Secrets
…Researchers developed a safe treatment for diabetes in 1922, testing it first on dogs and rabbits. That treatment – insulin made from other sources – is still used daily by millions of people.

Sadly, one of the Canadian examples is found in the chapter titled, “The Risks of Research”. This example describes the use of the drug thalidomide in Canada which resulted in deformed limbs.

Some survivors of thalidomide in Canada were awarded compensation, or money, from the government in 2015, more than 50 years after they were born with deformities caused by the drug.

Like other books in the “Top Secret Science” series, Top Secret Science in Medicine ends with “Your Mission”. This section is titled “Be a Medical Scientist” and includes some higher-level thinking and ethical choice questions and activities for students.

How will you deal with the private information that patients give you? What if they told you a secret that was important to the study but they did not want anyone to know? Would you share it with other researchers? Could you find a way of sharing the information without breaking their trust?

I suspect that Top Secret Science in Medicine will appeal to students who want to know more about medical research, including its darker side. The topics in Top Secret Science in Medicine include the financial implications of medical espionage, misleading research findings, risks of research for researchers and participants, chemical secrets, illegal organ trading, animal testing, stem cell research, and the Human Genome Project.