Critic Paper on Biomedical Journal Article

of Satyajit Patra and Araromi Adewale Andrew

entitled

“Human, Social, and Environmental Impacts of

Human Genetic Engineering”
 Table of Contents

Journal Article …………………………………………………………..

Introduction …………………………………………………………..
Thesis Statement …………………………………………………………..
Analysis …………………………………………………………..
Conclusion …………………………………………………………..
Journal Article
 Introduction

Human, Social, and Environmental Impacts of Human Genetic Engineering is a

biomedical article published by Satyajit Patra and Araromi Adewale Andrew under the

publication of American International Medical University.

Focusing on Genetic Engineering, on which Patra and Andrew (2016) defined as

the alteration of an organism's genetic, or hereditary, material to eliminate undesirable

characteristics or to produce desirable new ones, this article created a closer

investigation on both benefits and disadvantages of this branch of biology.

 Securing credibility upon the matter, the Associate Professor and Chair of the

Department of Biochemistry and Genetics at American International Medical University

located in Saint Lucia, West Indies gave information and details about the genetic

engineering, on which are clear and precise. Leaving audience critic, judge, and weigh

its vitality on human future in two areas which it can affect, including the issue of

antibiotic resistance and ethical issues arising from different social groups.

The article, basically, was published equipped readers of information about the

pros and cons of Genetic Engineering to domains it can affect – human, social, and

environment.

Thesis Statement

This article gives a brief account on the effect of this principle on the biosphere

together with several controversial issues that accompany the acceptance of this

technology (Patra and Andrew; 2016).

Given that Genetic Engineering is the alteration of genetic material in order to

produce desirable result in characteristic materials, its main goal is to chase after the

composition of genetic materials and help to end the spread of diseases. Thus, this

article aims to answer the following questions:

 1. What is genetic engineering?

2. What is its importance in the field of medicine and human biology?

3. How people could benefit from it?

4. How it would affect the environment? the human health?

5. Where ethical and social issues come from and why they are against genetic

engineering?

Article Summary

With the presence of genetic engineering as branch of science, scientists can

now change and alter the way genomes are constructed. Its main purpose is to

terminate certain diseases that occur as a result of genetic mutation.

This is a clear proof that genetic engineering has the potential to improve the

quality of life and allow for longer life span. One of the greatest benefits of this field that

was mentioned in the article is the prospect of helping cure illness and diseases in

unborn children. This would open doors for early correction in gene construction of
unborn children specially those prospect carriers of hereditary disorders due to genetic

mutation like down syndrome.

Although the positive impacts of this field could be enormous, the article opened

the field of criticism when it discussed the first impact of genetic engineering – the effect

of it in environment. Discussing about the release of a new genetically engineered

species have the possibility of causing an imbalance in the present ecology. This

ecological imbalance could result into unpredictable outcomes such as extinction of

some species or over population of other. These genetic mutations might also become

the cause of creation of stronger type of viruses and bacteria that “could be fatal in

human genetic engineering creating problems ranging from minor medical problems, to

death”, as cited from Mercer, et. Al (1999) in their Appl Environ Microbiol journal article

entitled “Fate of free DNA and transformation of the oral bacterium … in human saliva”.

Also, as defective genes are replaced with functional gene, then it is expected

that there will be a reduction in genetic diversity and if human beings will have identical

genomes, the population as a whole will be susceptible to virus or any form of diseases.

These concerns range from ethical issues to lack of knowledge on the effects genetic

engineering may have.

Another frightening scenario is the destructive use of genetic engineering.

Terrorist might use researches and studies to create strong biological weapon that

would send countries over countries under the state of epidemic.

However, the article clearly explained in the end that further testing and research

will be required to educate society on the pros and cons of genetic engineering.
 My Analysis

There are many pros and cons in genetic engineering, and the authors of the

chose to focused on the cons or the negative sides of the said branch of science. For

me this is a good idea to make informed others about the negative sides of it since

people intend to accept everything they see, hear or read without analyzing and looking

for much information about it.

This article clearly wants to investigate and open the issue of what are the

possible effects, of these continuing studies in genetic materials, not only for short term
but for longer time span. Given the fact that the results are so promising and that it

might open a lot of opportunities for both medical and science breakthroughs, the

effects are still irreversible. And the fear of uncontrollable outcome to shock everyone at

the end held people’s approval upon this matter – giving more priority to safeness of life

under social and ethical care. This article helps to make people cautious about genetic

engineering.

Conclusion

Although genetic engineering might help combat illness, but this might also be

the reason to make serious diseases that could be an epidemic. Nevertheless, genetic

engineering’s main goal would remain as its main purpose -- terminate certain diseases

that occur as a result of genetic mutation ad go hand in hand in stopping spreading of

diseases and epidemics.