"Volunteers needed for U.Va. Flu Study. Participants will be compensated $1,350.00."
My first reaction was that I was probably going to get the flu anyway so I might as well get paid for it. In the middle of a bustling Albemarle Shopping Center, with a kindly old nurse who called me "Sweetie," I sucked it up, took the blood tests and eagerly awaited the weeklong study in early January.
My friends did not share in my excitement. They reacted to my plan with raised eyebrows and handed out a variety of free lectures. After a while, I didn't even bother to mention the study. How many original, thought-provoking conversations can you have using the phrase "human guinea pig?"
I figured they were all jealous. Jealous of the fact that in one week's time I would earn enough money to pay rent this semester, even though I would be losing out on my chance for a winter tan.
When the study started, I reported to the Holiday Inn, my home for the next nine days. It was a hard life with my king-sized bed and cable television. We were fed three times a day, and sometimes the heater worked so well I had to switch to the air conditioning.
The study participants were randomly separated into four groups: placebo (a free ticket to poor health), 50mg, 100mg and 200mg of medicine. The study aimed to prove the experimental drug's use as a preventative. It was administered before we were given common Influenza A through a nasal solution. I wasn't afraid -- I took it in the nose like a man.
Precise records were kept of our condition before, during and after the study. The nurses kept to their daily routine of blood samples and nasal washes. They asked us the same questions day after day to monitor changes in our overall health. They were kind and caring, and I felt especially close to them when they woke us up at 6:30 every morning to collect our used tissues.
Room service timed the meals in such a way that when the drug was administered, our stomachs would be empty. It was an odd feeding schedule, but I got used to it. I just sat back and waited to get sick.
I never did. The drug worked for the girl across the hall too. It also worked for the guys down the hall. In fact, no one on our floor got sick at all. Those folks down on the second floor must have received the placebo -- they got hit pretty hard. We all had a good laugh over that.
I was enjoying my dandy health when suddenly, right in the middle of HBO's ninth showing of The Karate Kid, I had a thought. This was an expensive study; 80 guests in a hotel for a week, meal costs, money for researches and lab expenses. Was I being greedy in accepting $1,350 when people who need this medicine might not be able to afford it?
As these pressing questions were causing me great anguish, I impulsively switched over to The A-Team. B.A. Baracus was going ballistic because Murdoch kept talking about his plans to form a golf ball liberation front. I laughed and suddenly a revelation came to me.
I could question the intricacies of the health care system all day and I wouldn't be any further from where I started. I'm just one man, one "volunteer." Did the high cost of the study pale in comparison to the potential of the drug, which could be used to save lives and prevent so much misery? Was it justified? I don't know. I was stuck in the hotel, being a guinea pig for the industry. I figured I might as well just watch more TV and get paid for it. Besides, my BBQ ribs were getting cold.
Read More
Podcast revolutionizes storytelling for Charlottesville and its sister city
By Brandon Kile | 7 hours agoCharlottesville has four sister cities total, the other three being Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Poggio a Caiano, Italy and Winneba, Ghana.
Student Council debates resolution for increased allergen transparency, reviews summer budget
By Arshiya Pant | YesterdayThe resolution aimed to support students by requiring U.Va. Dine locations to provide a comprehensive list of allergens for food items on GrubHub.
Honor Committee brainstorms sanction diversification, considers future steps for AI
By Lexie Stadler | 2 days agoHancock and Carson Breus, vice chair for sanctions and third-year Commerce student, said they are collaborating to explore fresh sanctioning avenues.
