Creative Category Winner
10th Grade Student
Council Rock High School North
Newtown, PA
Revelations
In a medical research lab outside of San Diego, California, there was chaos. You
see, a few minutes ago, a woman wearing a bright red robe and carrying a staff just
appeared suddenly in the middle of the conference room. She looked like someone who
had just come from a renaissance fair. After the scientists had calmed down the interns,
they were able to address the problem of the woman in the red robe.
"Would anyone like to tell me where I am? This is certainly a strange place."
The woman addressed the crowd of scientists around her.
"You're at the San Diego Center for Medical Research. Um...Excuse me if
this is rude, but who are you?" David, the head scientist, was feeling very confused.
After all, it's not everyday a strange woman appears out of no where right in front of
you.
"Oh, how silly of me! My name is Silvana. I was just practicing my spells when
something must have gone wrong. Tell me, what year is it?"
"It's 2009 ma'am."
"Oh dear, I really messed up this time. Oh well, I might as well enjoy it. What
exactly do you do at a... What did you call it? A medical research center?" Silvana
apparently had mood swings quite frequently.
"Here at the San Diego Center for Medical Research, we test new drugs that can
help improve the medical condition of, or completely cure, people with certain diseases.
How about I give you a tour after you explain in more detail how you came to be here
and where you're from?"
"Certainly."
After receiving an explanation on from how far into the past Silvana had come,
David decided to give her a tour, even if she was a little odd.
"We do biomedical research here at the Center. That's the 'search for ways to
heal living organisms such as humans and other animals’” ("Use" 1).
"So you actually test on other human beings?" Silvana sounded skeptical.
"First, the testing is done on animals, not on humans, but if the drug has positive
results on the animals, then it will be tested later on humans."
"But that's terrible! How could you do that to innocent little animals? It's a good
thing I didn't bring Cuddles, my three-headed dog, with me!"
David was a little disturbed that the woman beside him had a three-headed
dog for a companion, but he didn't let it discourage him from setting her right.
"Actually, the animals we use here are treated very well. It is much more
beneficial to use well-treated animals, not suffering animals, in order to achieve
accurate results. Also, we use 'anesthesia or analgesic drugs for potentially painful
procedures and during post-operative care’” ("Fact" 7). There was one thing he
worked very hard on here in the lab — animal welfare.
"I see. Isn't it a little selfish, however, to develop drugs for humans and test them
on animals?"
"It would be, if humans were the only species the drugs benefited. Most of the
drugs we develop are beneficial to both humans and animals. Our research helps both
`veterinary medicine as well as human medicine and helps animals live longer, happier,
and healthier lives' “("Fact" 11).
Once again, someone had failed to see the truth about his research: His research
benefitted both animals and humans.
"I can see that you're right. The animals here certainly look happy. Perhaps I was
wrong," said Silvana, a woman who loved animals absolutely. "After all, if you had the
technology, wouldn't you want to be able to save lives? Maybe I can bring this idea back
to my own time. We could certainly benefit from it. We don't have this anesthesia thing
you were talking about, but we do have spells to take away the pain."
The tour was almost at its end, and Silvana was quite excited about the idea of
being a harbinger of knowledge for her time period.
"Oh, I just see it already. Of course, I'll have to make sure the animals are treated
well, but this is a great idea! I can't wait to get started! I must get home right away!"
David was watching Silvana hop around excitedly and, as a result, noticed when
she began to shimmer and fade slightly. When he pointed it out to her, she stopped
bouncing and studied her arms, which were almost transparent.
"It looks like I'm going home. The time spell's worn out. This was a most
interesting trip and, of course, I learned so many wonderful things." She was fading faster
now. "Goodbye! I thank you for everything you've told me today!"
Just like that she was gone. As he walked down the hall, David was proud of
himself for calmly taking in the day's events. He slowly walked to the library and took
down one of the books on a shelf near the door. He just had a funny feeling that
something had happened. He opened the book, A History of Biomedical Research,
and sure enough, there was a detailed description of the woman who had just faded
away
from existence in front of him, stating that she had been the first to test medicine on
animals for the benefit of both humans and animals.
"David, are you okay?" one of his colleagues asked. He had been staring at the
page for a while.
"I just met the founder of biomedical research."
Works Consulted
"Fact vs. Myth." Foundation for Biomedical Research. 2006.
"Frequently Asked Questions About Animal Research." Foundation for Biomedical
Research.
"Proud Achievements of Animal Research." Foundation for Biomedical Research. 2006.
"Questions People Ask About Animals in Research." The American Physiological
Society. 2001.
"Use of Animals in Biomedical Research: Understanding the Issues." American
Association for Laboratory Animal Science.