Medical Technology Can Have Long-Term Negative Effects - Essay Example

? C: Medical technology can have long term negative effects for human populations BIOL 108- ESSAY 2 Jess Choo [42299411] Medical technology can have long term negative effects for human populations Introduction Population, in human biology, encompasses the whole number of inhabitants occupying planet earth and is continually being modified by births and deaths (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Since human population on the global scale is closed (i.e. migration has no effects on it) it will, therefore, not take into consideration the impact of migration on population. The human population, like its counterpart in the plant and animal kingdom, is controlled by the food supply, the effect of diseases, and other environmental and social factors, such as natural disaster and war (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Furthermore, social customs governing reproduction and technological developments in the areas of medicine and public health directly affect human populations. Indeed, medical technology through improved drugs and other state-of-the-art medical techniques has, questionably, contributed powerful impulse to the increase of human population by decreasing mortality rate, especially among children, and increasing life span (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2007). Medical technology is the diagnostic and/or therapeutic application of scientific breakthrough in the landscape of medicine (Advanced Medical Technology Association, 2004). . The basic objective of medical technology is improvement in health care delivery through early diagnosis, regular and effective patient monitoring, less invasive treatment options and reductions in hospital stays and rehabilitation times (Advanced Medical Technology Association, 2004). It facilitates efficient and effective delivery of a wide range of health care products to improve health. At its most advanced level, these technologies include miniature robots capable of performing complex spinal surgery, noninvasive treatment of brain tumors with a focused beam of gamma radiation, and light-activated drugs that target diseased cells. They also include already established techniques such as blood transfusion, radiation therapy, orthopedic surgery and immunology It is claimed that improvements in medical technology have come alongside with an exponential increase in human population (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Most often, this increase in population has been attributed to advances in and increased use of medical technology (British Broadcasting Corporation, 2007). Furthermore, it is believed that human population will increase to a point where it will become a threat, not only to humanity, but also to our planet (Food and Agricultural Organization, 2001). Indeed, overpopulation in the animal kingdoms leads to biological issues such as unhealthy competition, and ultimately starvation and death (Bureau of Land Management, 2011). Consequently, many people have come to believe that medical technology, which has stimulated population growth, may ultimately lead to the starvation and famine (Food and Agricultural Organization, 2001). Those who held the above opinion fail to recognize that human population is not only controlled by health-care related factors but other factors such as food supply, wars and natural disaster have impact on it. Though medical technology might seem to have some side effects on human population as in the removal of the impact of natural selection, the effect may not be a long term one. Indeed, medical technologies seem to have removed the impact of natural selection on human population. For instance, a diabetic patient, who would have died young, has been aided by medical technologies to survive to the reproductive age, thereby passing the diseased gene to posterity. Why differential reproductive success does have an effect on natural selection, it corollary, differential survival also plays a role. Thus a diabetic patient who could successfully adapt will definitely survive. Increasing resistance of microbes to antibiotics shows that over time, the weak develop characteristics (or gene) that makes them survive hostile conditions. This is also true with some populations in sub-Sahara Africa that has developed resistance to the malaria parasite. Since natural selection is not only about differential reproductive success but also involves differential survival, chances are that the weak may survive to reproductive age even without medical technologies. Though medical technologies have some adverse effect on population, this effects may probably be swamped by selective pressure to induce genetic changes (Mead et al., 2009). Medical technology: how significant does it affect population? Given that human population on the global scale is unaffected by migration (closed population), only additions by births and reduction by deaths can change human population (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Thus biological factors that control birth and death rate, indirectly, control population. Such biological factors include fertility, the actual level of achieved reproduction, and mortality, the actual death through predictable and unpredictable events. Fertility is essentially a biological process and is affected by many biological factors, such as the fertility rate; the degree of fecundability - i.e., the monthly probability of conceiving in the absence of contraception; the occurrences of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth; the duration of temporary infecundability following the birth of a child – that is during breastfeeding; and the age of onset of permanent sterility (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Since the 20th century, the age at which women become fecund has decreased (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011) probably through improved health care delivery and possibly through better nutrition (a factor not related to health care), literature search did not reveal a correlation between this decrease in the age of fecundability and population increase. Related to this are findings that the global fertility rate has decreased (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2005). Indeed, figures from the Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations indicated that fertility rate has declined significantly in the 20th century despite numerous breakthroughs in the medical field. For instance, the reports shows that the global average number of children a woman would bear if fertility rates remained unchanged during her lifetime has dropped from five to three. The figures also indicate that developing countries have a sustained high fertility rate above the global average of five compared with developed countries that have fertility rate that is below the global average of five. Given that increased fertility rate should increase population, this report suggests that population increase is not solely a function of increased medical technology but rather other factors such as reductions in warfare, better nutrition and economic pressure contribute significantly. Indeed, this theory is substantiated by figures from countries such as Nigeria that has annual population increase yet has less access to advanced medical technology whereas countries such as Japan and Germany that has access to advanced medical technology recorded decreases in population. Though the global population continues to increase, reports from the United States Census Bureau have shown that human population growth rate has declined from 2.2 percent in 1962 to 1.1 percent in 2009, breakthroughs in medical technology notwithstanding (United States Census Bureau, 2011). The figures also show that annual births reduced from their peak at 173 million in the late 1990s to 140 million in 2009 and are expected to remain constant, while the number of deaths totaling 57 million per year and are expected to increase to 80 million per year by 2040. Though the projected figures show a continued increase in human population, a steady decrease in the population growth rate is expected. While the figures above represent the global status of population growth, at the national level, population growth rate rarely exceeds 4 percent per year; the highest known rate for a national population and this is attributed to interplay of a very high birthrate and a quite low death rate (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Indeed this was the case in Kenya during the 1980s, in which the natural increase of the population approximated 4.1 percent per year. Rates of natural increase in other developing countries generally are lower; these countries averaged about 2.5 percent per annum during the same period. Meanwhile the rates of natural increase in industrialized countries are very low: the highest is approximately 1 percent, most are in the neighborhood of several tenths of 1 percent, and some are slightly negative (that is, their populations are slowly decreasing). From the foregoing, it is apparent that population growth rate is not just a function of advances in medical technology. Thus the proposition that medical technology will impact long term negative effect on population is unfounded and should not be entertained. Medical technology: an instrument of effective population control Biologically, overpopulation results in increase competition for scarce resources, which will ultimately lead to famine and death through hunger, undernourishment and malnutrition. This long term negative effect of overpopulation, as observed in the plant and animal kingdoms, has led some biologists and policy makers to fear that human overpopulation may have the same long term negative side effects on humanity (Food and Agricultural Organization, 2001). Unfortunately, their fear is based on the erroneous assumption that overpopulation is the outcome of advances in and increased use of medical technology. Indeed, this fear is farfetched as the human species cannot be compared with plants and animals. Human beings possess productive and creative minds, unlike the plants and animal, and as such are capable of finding creative solutions to their problems. Indeed, no scientific reports exist to correlate human population density with famine, starvation, or malnutrition as has been observed plant and animal kingdoms (Pimentel, 2010). Rather, in human community, famine, starvation and hunger is well correlated with corruption and bad leadership (Simon, 1998). As mentioned, above, human has the productive minds to create solutions to their problems. Indeed, medical technologies exist to limit the population growth. For instance, medical technologies have developed various contraceptive devices to control birth rate (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011). Since the late 19th century a greater understanding of the human reproductive system has led to the development of various contraceptive methods and devices of varying reliability and risk. These contraceptive methods include sterilization, a most effective form of contraception, which is permanent and generally irreversible. The most effective of the reversible methods are hormonal contraceptives also known as birth control pills, intrauterine devices, and condoms used with spermicide. Each of these has a potential success rate of some 99 percent if used consistently and correctly. Thus, when these contraceptive measures are taken, global birth rate can be controlled, which will ultimately control human overpopulation. Furthermore, advances in medical technology have resulted in new methods of inducing abortion (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011), another birth control measure that is capable of limiting human population. For instance, since the 20th century, the drug, RU 486 (mifepristone), an artificial steroid that is closely related to the contraceptive hormone norethnidrone, has been developed and use to induce abortion. RU 486 works by blocking the action of the hormone progesterone, which is needed to support the development of a fertilized egg. When ingested within weeks of conception, RU 486 effectively triggers the menstrual cycle and flushes the fertilized egg out of the uterus. Indeed, medical technology has the capability of controlling human population and thus does not represent a threat to humanity future with respect to population growth. In addition to controlling birth rate and population growth, advances in medical technology has led to an epidemiologic transition in which the pattern of mortality and disease is transformed from one of high mortality among infants and children and epidemic affecting all age groups to one of degenerative and man-made diseases (such as those attributed to smoking, sedentary life style and bad eating habit) affecting principally the elderly. This transition, apart from creating a work force that is capable of producing food and other supplies that will sustain humanity, also ensures the preservation of the species. Biologically, high mortality among infants and children can lead to extinction of the human species. In fact, extinction of several species of animals is recorded in biology as well as history. Conclusion On one hand, medical technology may seem to be impacting on human population negatively by removing the impact of natural selection. True as this may be, the negative effect may probably be swamped by selective pressure that may induce genetic changes. Furthermore the era of increased use of medical technology coincides with exponential growth in human population. This has led many to believe that the growth is as a result of advancement in medicine. However, it cannot be supported that the growth is solely dependent on medical technology. In fact, reports from developing countries that have higher population increases yet lack modern medical technology support the above sentence. Besides, medical technology has the capability of effectively controlling human population. When such control fails, it is most often as a result of societal values and customs. Given the arguments presented above, I disagree that medical technology may not have negative long term effect on population. Reference Advanced Medical Technology Association, 2004. What is Medical Technology? Retrieved from http://www.advamed.org/MemberPortal/About/NewsRoom/MediaKits/whatismedtechnology.htm Bureau of Land Management, 2011. Predators = Carnivores. Retrieved from http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/wildlife/carnivores.print.html Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, 2005. Population Challenges and Development Goals, New York, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. 2001. Food Insecurity: When People Live With Hunger and Fear Starvation. The State of Food insecurity in the World 2001. Italy, United Nations Mead, S.; Whitfield, J.; Poulter, M.; Shah, P.; Uphill, J.; Campbell, T.; Al-Dujaily, H.; Hummerich, H.; Beck, J.; Mein, C. A.; Verzilli, C.; Whittaker, J.; Alpers, M. P.; Collinge, J. 2009. A Novel Protective Prion Protein Variant that Colocalizes with Kuru Exposure. N. Engl. J. Med. 361:2056-2065 Pimentel, D.; Michele, W., Zachary R. S., Leixin Z., Particia S., Timothy J. S., Jennifer P., Daniel S., Gurpreet S., Daiela O. G., Tun L. 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