Ellie Briskin AP Bio C Even
October 30, 2015 Current Event 6
Grady, Denise. "Penis Transplants Being Planned to Help Wounded Troops." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/07/health/penis-transplants-being-planned-to-heal-troops-hidden-wounds.html?&moduleDetail=section-news-3&action=click&contentCollection=Science®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&pgtype=article>.
This article tells of one of the most breakthrough medical techniques; the penis transplant. Although this procedure has never been done in the United States, within just a few months we may have the technology for a young soldier with a horrific injury to have this operation. The organ will come from a deceased donor, and the surgeons, for Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, say it will start working in a matter of months after the operation, developing urinary function, sensation and, eventually, the ability to have sex. This is a huge accomplishment, for in 2001 to 3013, 1,367 deployed military service men suffered genital wounds. These injuries, however devastating, are unfortunately cloaked in shame, stigma and embarrassment, and not something many people hear about. Only two transplants have ever taken place: a failed one in China in 2006 and a successful one in South Africa last year. The Johns Hopkins doctors plan to do 60 transplants, monitor the results, and decide whether or not to make the operation a standard treatment. If successful, it may allow these men to father children, and since the testes (where sperm are produced) are not being replaced, the child will genetically belong to the father, not the donor. The article continues to cite multiple specialists and patients argueing the seriousness of genetalian injuries, saying it’s so much more than a physical injury, and many men feel it is the worst injury to go through. Also, if the transplant fails, it will be removed, leaving the recipient no worse off than before the surgery. The article also raises the question of whether or not these men and their partners will be able to deal with the fact that the penises are not the men’s own. A leading doctor, Dr. Brandacher, says that he thinks it will be like hand surgeries, saying that “I can tell you from all the patients — and I’ve been involved since 1998 — every single one, after surgery, look at the graft, try to move it and they immediately call it ‘my hand’... They immediately incorporate it as part of their body. I would assume, extrapolating, that this is going to be the same for this kind of transplant.” For now, the operation is only being offered to men injured in combat.
I was initially drawn in with this article because I find the topic of genital transplants extremely intriguing. I think it is beyond impressive that we are able to take one mans penis and attach it to another; and not just that, but actually have it functional. But more than that, this discovery is definitely still relevant to people today. For starters, the fact that we are just now discovering how to transplant these organs proves that no progress in any field is ever truly completed, and that development in all areas is always possible. It truly does open the doors of possibilities in the transplant world! One doesn’t think about how lucky he is to have an intact pelvic area until it is gone; think about it, losing this organ would interfere greatly with life. Being able to have a penis again would have a colossal effect on these patients.
Overall, I was impressed by the presentation of this article. Its paragraphs flowed and were ordered in a way that made sense, making it extremely easy for me to follow along. I also felt that it was strengthened by the substantial number of expert quotes, which legitimized the arguments. I also enjoyed the fun, conversational tone that the author used; this was not only easy to understand but also kept me, the reader, captive. However, the one criticism I have of the article is that it gave an extremely large amount of information, to a point of being extraneous. The latter portion of the article gave extremely extensive details on the psychological affects of being penis-less; although this was pertinent to the article, it took up roughly a fourth of what should have been a much more medically based arguement. I would suggest that the author synthesises his information better, not just condensing what he has but really sifting through what is important and what is not, while still maintaining a logical flow. But overall, I thought this article was very well put together, and maintained my interest throughout.
Hi Ellie! I think you did a fantastic job on your review. I really liked the way you organized your information and thought everything was clear to understand. I learned a lot about genital transplants which is a very new procedure and something there isn’t a lot of information about yet. You wrote in a way that made you seem very passionate about the topic and even wrote that you were intrigued by genital transplants. Also you included that if the transplant recipient were to have children the child would be his own, not the donors, which I thought was very important.
ReplyDeleteYour review was great but if I made any changes I would add more information to why this surgery has not been performed before. If they had the ability to transplant other organs, why not the penis? I also would add why it is relevant to us and any further affects it could have in surgery.
I had no idea that there was the possibility of penis transplants and I never thought of war veterans losing them. However, it really makes sense after reading your article and is very important because without it, men may return from war being unable to father their own children. Overall, your article was very informative and I learned much more about genital transplants and reconstructive surgery.
Grady, Denise. "Penis Transplants Being Planned to Help Wounded Troops." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015. .
ReplyDeleteEllie,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your review of “Penis Transplants Being Planned to Help Wounded Troops” by Denise Grady. This article is a great choice because this is an area of study that has received a lot of scientific focus lately; specifically on donating and/or creating functioning organs. I liked how you included many specific statistics and dates to help back up all of your points and give the reader more information about the topic. I also liked how you quoted specific scientists to make your article more factual and research based which makes it a more accurate and reliable source. I also thought you did a very good job at describing the relevance of this article and the importance of something like this to someone who put themselves in danger for our country and has been living in shame ever since. Though this may not be a deadly injury it is definitely an important one for a man for the rest of his life not only in terms of being embarrassed but also the ability to procreate. I liked how you provided background information about their attempts with this procedure, where it is happening, and what the projections are for the future. This review was overall very well written and thought out and I thought you did a good job at displaying your thoughts in a descriptive yet concise manner.
I felt that the primary problem with your review was a lack of editing. There were a couple of times when things were written in a strange way or were slightly out of place which could have been easily fixed with a brief lookover of the review. Another aspect missing from your review was a lack of the science of this procedure. I would have liked to know what recent advancement was made in medicine that is now making this procedure a possibility that we didn't have before.
Overall I really enjoyed reading your review and was especially interested by this topic because I find all of the scientific advancements in usable, working, transplanted organs intriguing and something like this bodes well for the future of transplant surgeries in other areas. It was interesting to learn about a problem that I didn't realize existed and that we are able to do something for people who put themselves in harm's way to protect us.
Great job Ellie! I loved your summary of the article and was able to learn a lot through your description. It was very interesting to read as well. I also think that your third paragraph, where you talked about the author’s writing overall, was well done. It was clear to me that you closely focused in on what the author did nicely. Finally, I think that the review flowed very nicely and illustrated a great outline of the article. The separation of these thoughts into paragraphs allowed me to clearly understand your review.
ReplyDeleteAs your review was written beautifully and was well organized, there are a few things I suggest including in your next current event. In your second paragraph, the one that described the importance of the discovery on science, I feel that you could have been more descriptive. Though I was able to understand your ideas, it could’ve included more information. I also think that in your summary paragraph, an explanation of the quote can be added, to give a better background of the article to the reader.
I’ve heard about penis transplants before in television shows like Grey’s Anatomy and other medical dramas, but I didn’t know that in reality this was a new development in the medical world. It is mind blowing to believe that science has the potential to recreate something so significant that a man would be able to have children again.
Grady, Denise. "Penis Transplants Being Planned to Help Wounded Troops." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015. .
ReplyDeleteEllie,
I thought your review of the article you found was extremely interesting. You had a very nice summary and important facts for how this procedure occurs. I think you were really able to capture the seriousness of the topic, and you gave it the justice it deserves. There were details from previous experiments which supported the use of the transplant, like “in 2001 to 3013, 1,367 deployed military service men suffered genital wounds.” As many people are suffering from this situation, it makes sense that we should find a solution to this problem. It was a good choice to incorporate the quote from the doctor referring to hand transplants because it normalizes this new innovative transplant. I agree with the doctor in that someone would automatically claim a transplanted organ or limb as their own, but one has to be mindful that it was the leading doctor, Dr. Brandacher, who said this so of course he would say something that favors his experiment. You said that the author of the article needed to condense the story, so I thought you did a good job of condensing your story and picking out the most important facts.
There aren’t many changes you need to make to your review, but I think including more background information about other transplants would be useful. I’m extremely curious to know how exactly these transplants work: what makes it functional? It probably has to do with stem cells and connecting nerves, but I’m not too sure. Also, the other main change is editing. There were just some grammatical mistakes and minor fixes. Other else than that, it was a really intriguing article.
It’s absolutely revolutionary that these new transplants are becoming more popular, and that so many people will have their life renewed. Although I can see where a lot of criteria and controversy would start to arise, it is important in our society to recognize the amount of gravity that not having this organ can have on an individual. This transplant is very important because it lets someone, especially a veteran, start their life over, and lets them reestablish themselves into society. Many individuals wish to start a family after they come back from their services, many times, out of the country. It’s not hard to put yourself in their shoes and realize how much your life would change with any limb of your body, let alone an organ as vital as the reproductive one.
Great review Ellie! You gave a good summary-- it was cohesive and easy to understand, while also giving all the important information and covering all the points of the article. Additionally, your explanations were well written. I really understood the science behind penis transplants and how revolutionary this new discovery is. Another great point of your review was the second paragraph: it was a great addition that connected really well to the real world. The quote from an important scientist was a strong part that clarified how this new type of transplants would hopefully be received.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your review was extremely strong, to make it stronger I would add more information, such as why this surgery has not been performed before. If they had the ability to transplant other organs, why not the penis? I also would add why it is relevant to us and any negative effects it could have in surgery.
The most interesting thing to me in this article was just the idea of scientists performing a genital! The process seems fascinating and something that could change the lives of hundreds of people that have these devastating injuries. I hope that the scientists continue testing and that this new discovery someday becomes a reality for all people that need it.
Grady, Denise. "Penis Transplants Being Planned to Help Wounded Troops." The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Dec. 2015. Web. 07 Dec. 2015. .