Discovering DNA : meditations on genetics and a history of the science / Nancy Tiley.

  • Tiley, N. A. (Nancy A.)
Date:
[1983], ©1983
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Credit: Discovering DNA : meditations on genetics and a history of the science / Nancy Tiley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    a form of practicality demanding the expansion of technology, on the fringes of euphoria-denying Victorianism, and due to the illegality of the marijuana containing THC, a new drug was developed. The new drug, Nabilone, successfully mimics noneuphoric THC, that is, it achieves what THC achieves but without the side effects accompany ing THC in its natural environment in marijuana. While the medical triumph is obvious, the question Buddhists might justifiably ask is: Is Buddha, often depicted with soma leaves identified with hemp, at all synthesized or quite literally separated from an aspect of his essential portrait for those recipients of the new drug who do not perhaps realize how close they came to touching a Path? Opium, morphine, heroin, and cocaine were historically distributed by a wide range of breeds of physician who obtained a legal monopoly over them by virtue of the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914, before which time the opiates were legal, inexpensive, and available to all dar ing their responsibility. Continuing a precarious course toward estab lishing the medical profession preparation of opiates after 1914 was as seemingly indiscriminate as their availability; this was the case in preparations of nonopiatic medicine as well. The potentially debilitat ing side effects of many contemporary medicines and medical treat ment is sadly reminiscent of the effects of many earlier prescriptions. In at least one instance a medicine has increased the specific problem it was intended to remedy. The Holloways’ Pills of the Civil War were sold to victims of dysentery who purchased, with later regret, a power ful purgative which only accomplished what dysentery was already do ing far too well. This is an extreme example of poorly prescribed treat ment. The breed of physicians out of which as much productivity as super fluous activity is likely to rise is not absent at the curve of a turn into a new century. DNA and RNA pills and diets to vitalize, extend, and fur ther qualify one’s life are a common and recent addition to vitamin displays and druggists’ counters. That diets of “DNA-rich” sala manders (coincidentally important in metaphysics) are as unpleas ant as a dish full of worms, which form the real if rare constituents of a few modern diets, or, that DNA/RNA pills accomplish little benefit save the moistening of the internal regions as they harmlessly dissolve and are passed, is of no practical value to the hopeful willing to try any thing. Powwowing would likely be more effective than such diets.