Biohistorical Research
ISLAT Collaborates with the Chicago Historical Society
Advances in science and technology give scholars and institutions
new means of undertaking research on historical figures and historical
artifacts. Techniques of bioanalysis commonly used in medicine
and forensics -- such as DNA testing or biochemical assays --
are now being applied to answer historical questions. Recent proposals
for biohistorical investigations of scientist Albert Einstein,
explorer Meriwether Lewis, and presidents George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln have generated scientific, historical,
ethical, and legal controversies about the justification for the
proposed research; appropriateness of the study design; destruction
of fragile museum specimens; the relevance of informed consent;
potential harm to living relatives; cultural respect for the dead;
confidentiality of medical and genetic information; and the interpretation
of study results. Yet the frequency of these investigations will
undoubtedly rise in the future, given public and professional
fascination with biotechnology and DNA analysis. What are the
ethical and legal responsibilities of museums, park services,
and other institutions with biological specimens when new technologies
offer unprecedented potential to unlock the secrets of the past?
Should scholars be able to interrogate an historical figure's
DNA for information about traits and behaviors? How should a geneticist
or biochemist respond to requests from an historian, museum, or
private collector to undertake such analyses? What historical,
scientific, and ethical standards are applicable when proposals
for biohistorical research are evaluated?
Currently there are no ethical guidelines for biohistorical
analysis. Often a single researcher can obtain access to a strand
of hair or spot of blood from an historical figure and undertake
a bioanalysis. With funding from the National Science Foundation,
the Institute for Science, Law and Technology at the Illinois
Institute of Technology (ISLAT) and the Chicago Historical Society
(CHS) have been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to
coordinate an interdisciplinary investigation of the ethical,
legal, scientific, and historical concerns generated by the emerging
field of biohistorical research to develop ethical and professional
guidelines for the specialty. The guidelines will provide a critical
tool for assessing the merits of biohistorical research proposals.
The project will foster an unusual interdisciplinary partnership
between bioethicists, academic specialists, scientists, museum
professionals, and cultural groups.
The partnership between ISLAT and CHS offers a unique opportunity
for interdisciplinary research. ISLAT Director Lori Andrews has
been at the forefront of research on the ethical, legal and social
implications of new means of bioanalysis, including genetic testing.
Nancy Buenger, a CHS affiliated conservator with expertise in
integrated historical and scientific research, has coordinated
a collaborative investigation examining the authenticity of artifacts
associated with Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Following a museum
administrator's request for consideration of DNA analysis to authenticate
a cloak allegedly worn by Mary Todd Lincoln on the night of Lincoln's
assassination, Ms. Buenger contacted Professor Andrews for guidance
on the ethical and legal ramifications of genetic research. Building
on this research, Buenger, Andrews and their advisors will develop
ethical guidelines for biohistorical analysis.
Read more
http://www.chicagohs.org/wetwithblood/private/
Constructing
Ethical Guidelines for Biohistory
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