If you've never walked among people disfigured by war, disease or natural disaster, it would be difficult to understand how any bodily transplant would affect someone's quality of life.
My grandmother was disfigured by bone cancer that claimed one side of her face. I remember my parents warning me that she would look very different from the way she did before the surgery to remove the affected jaw and other bone. At the time, reconstructive surgery was rather new and "primitive." Once a gorgeous woman with auburn hair, steel blue eyes and engaging smile, she spent the last 20 years of her life hiding behind scarves or not venturing out of the house at all. I can only imagine that, had better procedures been available, she would have opted for more reconstructive surgery so that she would feel more normal, and be able to function more normally (imagine going through life with half a jaw!). Dealing with the physical issues and disease were one thing; dealing with the mental issues were quite another in such a vain society as ours.
Years abroad in war-torn countries, where it's sadly common to see kids disfigured by land mines or other causes, left impressions upon me, as well. I don't fret about crow's feet or bags around my eyes, or about walking out of the house without makeup.
I think the ethical dilemma would come into play for transplantations that would be vanity based. When it's a matter of improving the quality of a patient's life, I don't think it's for any of us to question.
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If you've never walked among people disfigured by war, disease or natural disaster, it would be difficult to understand how any bodily transplant would affect someone's quality of life.
My grandmother was disfigured by bone cancer that claimed one side of her face. I remember my parents warning me that she would look very different from the way she did before the surgery to remove the affected jaw and other bone. At the time, reconstructive surgery was rather new and "primitive." Once a gorgeous woman with auburn hair, steel blue eyes and engaging smile, she spent the last 20 years of her life hiding behind scarves or not venturing out of the house at all. I can only imagine that, had better procedures been available, she would have opted for more reconstructive surgery so that she would feel more normal, and be able to function more normally (imagine going through life with half a jaw!). Dealing with the physical issues and disease were one thing; dealing with the mental issues were quite another in such a vain society as ours.
Years abroad in war-torn countries, where it's sadly common to see kids disfigured by land mines or other causes, left impressions upon me, as well. I don't fret about crow's feet or bags around my eyes, or about walking out of the house without makeup.
I think the ethical dilemma would come into play for transplantations that would be vanity based. When it's a matter of improving the quality of a patient's life, I don't think it's for any of us to question.
December 17, 2008 - 6:48pmThis Comment
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