X-Sender: mlm@mailhost.efn.org X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 1.5.4b11 (32) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Mon, 12 Feb 1996 21:09:24 -0800 To: restoration@foreskin.com, noharmm-l@eskimo.com From: Mike McFarlane Subject: Re: Painless Circumcisions?? Sender: owner-noharmm-l@eskimo.com Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Mike McFarlane At 02:08 AM 2/13/96 -0000, Jason wrote: >Dear men... > >I read a very interesting article in a UK newspaper called "The Daily Mail" today regarding these new skin cells, ears etc that are grown in labs. > >The article cited a US company that manufactures new skin from, and I quote "skin painlessly obtained from babies". > Can you post the whole article? That "painlessly" nonsense deserves a response! This also was just posted by Jason in the misc.kids newsgroup a few minutes ago: 12th February 1996 In today's Financial Times there is an article on page 20 by Clive Cookson in Baltimore entitled: Science on brink of creating human body parts. It reports that the American Association for the Advancement of Science was told yeterday that doctors would soon be able to replace organs using synthetic materials and living cells. It explains that the basis of much tissue engineering is to make a biodegradable plastic scaffold which you "seed " with living cells. "Tissue engineering is furthest advanced with skin. Dr Gail Naughton, research director of Advanced Tissue Sciences, told the Association, meeting in Baltimore, that her California-based company would seek product licences from the FDA this year for its sheets of living skin. they are used to treat patients with severe burns, wounds and deep skin ulcers. "Advanced Tissue Sciences obtains its skin cells from the foreskins of circumcised babies. 'One foreskin will provide enough cells to give 25,000 sq. ft. - six football pitches - of new skin,' Dr Naughton said." So, babies are having their foreskins amputated for the sake of a company who will be selling sheets of skin grown from them. Now, I am NOT against the furtherance of medical science, and if burned would like some skin replaced, BUT, who makes the money here? First, the doctor who steals the boys' flesh gets paid by the parents for the priviledge. Then, SOMEONE sells it on to the companies such as that named above. Finally, the companies sell their product on to their customer. No wonder doctors like removing foreskins! The potential for making money here is obviously enormous. But what does the boy, deprived of an essential part of his "entire" body get out of the deal - apart from pain and a loss of sensation and protection plus possible later complications due to butchery? Perhaps somebody in America close to the source of this story could make some discreet enquiries to see just what is going on and the sort of money that is changing hands. It seems that, although copyright law protects ones writings, nothing protects ones foreskin, or even ones DNA!