Category: Science

Science is indispensable, especially in today’s context. Science has evidently proven to be beneficial in terms of solving health problems, food shortage and its application has bestowed to the rapid enhancement in technology. Yet, it would be a myopic view and turning a blind eye to reality to gratuitously assume science brings no perils. Science can in fact attribute to the deterioration of human fundamental basic moral values as well as health risks and global warming. Nevertheless, in my view, science is a blessing rather than a curse as the benefits it has to outweigh the perils that may possibly be incurred.

Firstly, science has led to the development of medical advances that enable longer lifespan of human being and able to cure illness which was previously incurable. Coupled with the development and transportation technology, development in new vaccines has been able to tackle the salient problem of tuberculosis in Third world nations such as Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia due to their poor living conditions and improper sanitations. This problem has cost millions of deaths annually. The presence of new vaccines has mitigated the problems in these Third world countries. The overall lifespan of the people has increased greatly over the years as the number of tuberculosis-related death has reduced significantly. In addition, the development in medical sciences has allowed cardiac transplantation which was not possible in the past. The problem of a patient with end-stage heart failure does not mean that the patient cannot be cured anymore. Heart transplant is now possible with the advancement in medical sciences where death is not the only route for end-stage heart failure patient. With the absence of science, prolonging of life of individual and curing incurable illnesses would not have been possible.

However, some may argue that the development in science can cause health risk as well. Genetically Modified (GM) food has posed a number of dangers associated with the food itself. A recent study in Newcastle University has shown that the modification of food with scientific technique has caused the spread of antibiotic resistance. This makes people be more prone to illness which increases their health risks. Nonetheless, the fears of GM food have been nothing more than a media spin. The media has created a story about ‘Frankenfood’ which is deemed to be harmful. It is often claimed, for example, that those allergic to nut protein died upon eating soybeans beans to which nut DNA had been added. This is not possible because the problem was picked up during the testing of the food and it was not released into the market for consumption until it is proven safe. So the perils of science that can cause health problems due to GM food are merely a scare-monger by the media.

Secondly, the development of GM food is able to solve the problem of famine as the world population keeps increasing at an increasing rate. GM food can be produced, unlike traditional farming. It can be produced at a faster rate than that of normal farming and at a lower cost. Moreover, with the severe climate change such as drought that is happening nowadays, crops yield has reduced significantly in recent years. So, GM food can certainly able to feed the hunger in developing and even third world countries, thus solving the problem of food shortage around the globe.

Yet, naysayers may argue that GM food is too expensive to be consumed by third world countries as they are economically poor. This implies that the poor are not being advantaged by GM food by the fact that they could not afford it. But, these naysayers fail to realize that GM food has increased crops yield worldwide which causes a downward pressure on food price. Despite the poor cannot enjoy GM food directly, they are indirectly enjoying the lower price of food so as to feed their hunger in order to survive. So, science can certainly beneficial in one way or another.

Thirdly, some may argue that the development of human cloning due to science has allowed Man to play God. It is not merely intervention in the body’s natural processes, but the creation of a new and wholly unnatural process of asexual reproduction. Cloning is vastly not accepted by mostly the religious groups such as the Catholic and Muslim because they think Man should not intervene with God. They argue that cloning is thus corrupting Man’s fundamental moral values. But, this argument assumes that we know God’s intentions. Who is to say that it is not God’s will that we clone ourselves? In spite of the current high risk of cloning, if cloning were to be successfully implemented in the future, it can allow selective breeding which can be beneficial for society as a whole. Selective breeding, which is also known as Eugenics, allows ‘high quality’ people to be cloned such that they can contribute to society more in terms of their leaderships and economic contribution.

All in all, the benefits that science can bring about are certainly outweighing the costs, especially in the future as science continues to develop. However, one should be aware of the potential harms that science may cause. Hence, in my opinion, the government should be aware and help to prevent the potentially disastrous effects of science. If the perils of science were to be successfully contained all the time, it certainly brings more benefits to the individual, society as well as the world.

Since ancient times people have often undertaken preventive measures to take care of their health. People have often been careful about their health and have tried to maintain proper hygiene so that they can keep germs at bay. Even doctors have encouraged people to exercise caution and keep themselves healthy. Many countries invest huge amounts of funds to improve healthcare. This is evident from the fact that many countries have immunisation vaccines and nationwide health awareness campaigns. Though modern medicine is widely available today, with proper measures several diseases and injuries are preventable and can be managed better with preventive measures. Thus, it is justified to say that one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure because it helps in reducing inequality, suffering and is more feasible.

Many believe that role of modern medicine is to reduce global inequalities. However, even today not everyone has access to healthcare and awareness. Many underdeveloped nations in Africa continue to face the wrath of diseases like Malaria and diarrheal diseases. These diseases are either completely wiped out or occur rarely in developed countries. Supporters of cure believe that prevention is not a viable option in underdeveloped countries because of socio-economic problems faced. For example, it is believed that preventive measures for AIDS have not worked in Africa. Social problems and lack of education continue to persist in these African countries which makes prevention a less viable option. In such circumstances, it can be argued that focus should be on cure rather than prevention. An example of this can be diseases like Diphtheria and Tuberculosis when the cure of these diseases was found the number of fatalities declined considerably. Thus, the cure is better than prevention as it helps to reduce global inequality.

However, this is a myopic view because some diseases that plague the world still do not have a definite cure. For example, diseases like AIDS still do not have a cure which means better preventive measures are required. Furthermore, it is practically impossible to provide people with a cure for all diseases. In such cases, it becomes imperative that the focus is on prevention rather than on cure. Richer nations are more at an advantage to deal with such diseases but economically weak nations cannot deal with such issues. People receiving a diagnosis of cancer is devastating for anyone, in developed nations with high income, people can receive treatment and hopefully be cured. However, what about the fates of the who live in poor nations and do not have access to specialists and medicines? In such countries, prevention is a better option because it is cost-effective and can benefit the community in the long-term. For example, diseases like Polio have been successfully eradicated from countries like India, through effective vaccination programmes, which is considered the most preventive measure against the disease. Therefore, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure because all countries do not have access to a cure.

Disease prevention is better than cure because it also brings about social change in the process. While undertaking prevention programmes, many other initiatives are run parallel to these programs. For instance, many realised that the rising number of AIDS cases in Africa stem from lack of education and treatment of women. This led to initiatives where women were encouraged to get educated. One such programme which was started in Uganda was The PAVING project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which raised awareness about gender-based violence and the mass awareness led to the decline of the disease. Similarly, Mental health is an integral and essential component of health. Mental health prevention programmes help individuals to identify and address the stigma attached to mental health issues. Therefore, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as it helps to bring social change.

Role of modern medicine is to provide comfort to people and alleviate pain. In this sense, prevention is better than cure because it can help in reducing pain that can be caused by cure. Cure in the form of surgeries, painful therapies and procedures can only cause more suffering. In such cases, it is better to undertake preventive measures that can reduce suffering. This is truer in the case of diseases which do not have any known cures. For instance, in the case of a novel coronavirus, there is no known cure, which makes it essential to take adequate precautionary measures to prevent the virus. If people undertake these measures, they can prevent the disease and protect themselves from the pain and discomfort associated with the disease. Similarly, in the case of type 2 diabetes, people do not just need a cure but proper prevention. Lifestyle changes like daily moderate exercise and a healthy diet are key in helping to prevent disease. Implementing dietary changes at a young age, can help in the prevention of diabetes and also obesity which can be detrimental to the health of an individual. Therefore, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as it helps in keeping pain and discomfort at bay.

In conclusion, the statement, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is justified. This is because cures do not always help because they can be expensive and ineffective. Moreover, in some cases, there is simply no cure and in such circumstances, prevention is the only way.