I don’t believe Dr. Kligman should have received the lifetime achievement award from the University of Pennsylvania’s College of Physicians. While he was a pioneer in the field of dermatology, I think all of his accomplishments are marred by the way in which he tested the products. When someone is given an award as prestigious as one celebrating lifetime achievement, I think it is important to take into account their entire professional career, both the good and the bad. With that being said, I personally believe that even if someone found, say, the cure for cancer, but it was done at the expense of the lives of vulnerable people, even they do not deserve a lifetime achievement award. If Dr. Kligman did not use the prisoners at Holmesburg
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Kligman’s colleagues and students described him as a brilliant man who was unafraid to go beyond a line that others believed could, or maybe should, not be crossed when it came to his medical research/experiments. I think this attitude, while helping him to develop industry changing products like Retin-A, it also led to his downfall. The fact that he made many of his career making achievements inside prison walls, using the prisoners for human experimentation, should disqualify him from receiving a lifetime achievement award. He took advantage of a vulnerable population, many of whom were illiterate, desperate for money, and unknowledgeable about what they were actually participating in. As a result many prisoners suffered immediate and long-term painful health problems and scars. It hard to argue, with this evidence, that Dr. Kligman deserved the award.
Overall, I think Dr. Kligman was a brilliant man but became a victim of his own brilliance. After reading the book, and learning about his experiments, I think his “never stop” attitude inhibited his ethical compass. As a result, although he will be remember for his many medical contributions and advancements, the question of the ethicalness behind his methods will always be in the same conversation. For all of these reasons, while Dr. Kligman may have been innovative and captivating to many in the medical community, I don’t believe he deserved a lifetime achievement
Kligman’s colleagues and students described him as a brilliant man who was unafraid to go beyond a line that others believed could, or maybe should, not be crossed when it came to his medical research/experiments. I think this attitude, while helping him to develop industry changing products like Retin-A, it also led to his downfall. The fact that he made many of his career making achievements inside prison walls, using the prisoners for human experimentation, should disqualify him from receiving a lifetime achievement award. He took advantage of a vulnerable population, many of whom were illiterate, desperate for money, and unknowledgeable about what they were actually participating in. As a result many prisoners suffered immediate and long-term painful health problems and scars. It hard to argue, with this evidence, that Dr. Kligman deserved the award.
Overall, I think Dr. Kligman was a brilliant man but became a victim of his own brilliance. After reading the book, and learning about his experiments, I think his “never stop” attitude inhibited his ethical compass. As a result, although he will be remember for his many medical contributions and advancements, the question of the ethicalness behind his methods will always be in the same conversation. For all of these reasons, while Dr. Kligman may have been innovative and captivating to many in the medical community, I don’t believe he deserved a lifetime achievement