Cambra-Badii Irene, Guardiola Elena, Baños Josep-E
Chair in Bioethics, Centre d'Estudis Sanitaris I Socials (CESS), Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Carrer Miquel Martí i Pol, 1, 08500, Vic, Spain.
School of Medicine, Universitat de Vic - Universitat Central de Catalunya, Vic, Spain.
BMC Med Ethics. 2021 Feb 23;22(1):17. doi: 10.1186/s12910-021-00586-7.
Advances in biomedicine can substantially change human life. However, progress is not always followed by ethical reflection on its consequences or scientists' responsibility for their creations. The humanities can help health sciences students learn to critically analyse these issues; in particular, literature can aid discussions about ethical principles in biomedical research. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, the modern Prometheus (1818) is an example of a classic novel presenting complex scenarios that could be used to stimulate discussion.
Within the framework of the 200th anniversary of the novel, we searched PubMed to identify works that explore and discuss its value in teaching health sciences. Our search yielded 56 articles, but only two of these reported empirical findings. Our analysis of these articles identified three main approaches to using Frankenstein in teaching health sciences: discussing the relationship between literature and science, analysing ethical issues in biomedical research, and examining the importance of empathy and compassion in healthcare and research. After a critical discussion of the articles, we propose using Frankenstein as a teaching tool to prompt students to critically analyse ethical aspects of scientific and technological progress, the need for compassion and empathy in medical research, and scientists' responsibility for their discoveries.
Frankenstein can help students reflect on the personal and social limits of science, the connection between curiosity and scientific progress, and scientists' responsibilities. Its potential usefulness in teaching derives from the interconnectedness of science, ethics, and compassion. Frankenstein can be a useful tool for analysing bioethical issues related to scientific and technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and cloning. Empirical studies measuring learning outcomes are necessary to confirm the usefulness of this approach.
生物医学的进步能极大地改变人类生活。然而，进步之后并非总能引发对其后果的伦理反思，或是科学家对其创造物的责任反思。人文学科能帮助健康科学专业的学生学会批判性地分析这些问题；尤其是文学作品有助于展开关于生物医学研究伦理原则的讨论。玛丽·雪莱的《弗兰肯斯坦》；或《现代普罗米修斯》（1818年）就是一部经典小说，它呈现了复杂的情景，可用于激发讨论。
在这部小说问世200周年的框架下，我们检索了PubMed，以找出探讨并讨论其在健康科学教学中价值的著作。我们的检索得到了56篇文章，但其中只有两篇报告了实证研究结果。我们对这些文章的分析确定了在健康科学教学中使用《弗兰肯斯坦》的三种主要方法：讨论文学与科学的关系、分析生物医学研究中的伦理问题，以及审视同理心和同情心在医疗保健及研究中的重要性。在对这些文章进行批判性讨论后，我们提议将《弗兰肯斯坦》用作教学工具，促使学生批判性地分析科技进步的伦理层面、医学研究中同情心和同理心的必要性，以及科学家对其发现的责任。
《弗兰肯斯坦》能帮助学生思考科学的个人及社会局限、好奇心与科学进步的联系，以及科学家的责任。它在教学中的潜在用途源于科学、伦理和同情心的相互联系。《弗兰肯斯坦》可以成为分析与科技进步相关的生物伦理问题的有用工具，比如人工智能、基因工程和克隆。需要进行测量学习成果的实证研究来证实这种方法的有效性。
