NPR: The Secret Operation To Bring Nazi Scientists To America

This NPR story about Annie Jacobsen's book Operation Paperclip, named after the US government's task force to recruit Nazi scientists following the fall of The Third Reich, reemphasized to me how difficult it can be to balance human rights and scientific advancement. The story talks about Wernher von Braun, a Nazi scientist who later helped Americans build rockets that took man to the moon. In medicine there are countless diseases named after the Nazi physicians who discovered them, e.g. Wegner's syndrome. Now there is a push in medicine to rid these diseases of eponyms tied to Nazism, but the fact remains that we are still using the science discovered by these scientists who condoned senseless torture and genocide, and, even more horrifically, found a way to professionally gain from the suffering of others. It's easy to say in retrospect that the end does not justify the means but I feel sometimes science is blind to this bit of wisdom; in science progress is king.
Being in academia I have sometimes cringed at our treatment of animal and, yes, human subjects. Of course these are not transgressions commensurate with those of the Nazi scientists, and we do not break the law as defined the supposedly humane American legal system. And yet a moral compass inside me objects to the process of reducing human beings down to case studies. But as I become more entrenched in my career I find the voice of rationalization, supported by the community I have chosen to join, oftentimes drowns out any detraction from the end goal of medical progress. The idea is that medicine is for the greater good; it's to help people and society. Even on an individual level, medical training involves a huge amount of personal sacrifice, so maybe because of this the community feels that it is justified in sacrificing the personal freedoms of others for utilitarian aims. It is ever right to sacrifice personal freedoms? But isn't society just a collection of individuals who have agreed to sacrifice some of their personal freedoms for a collective better quality of life?
Sometimes it is difficult to have a conscience, and still be good and efficient in your career. I often am afraid of losing my values in the rat race.

The Secret Operation To Bring Nazi Scientists To America

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Small Dinner Get-together Menu:
One of the ways I try to stay grounded is to spend time with good friends, and one of my favorite things to do with my friends is to cook for them. I had a small girl's night recently and cooked up the following dishes; served with wine, TV, and good conversation.

1) Chicken Marsala with spaghetti and steamed broccoli 



Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup cooking sherry

Notes: I followed the recipe pretty closely. The only things I did different were to decrease the butter by half (maybe increased oil as a result), use a whole box of baby portabello mushrooms, add more marsala wine for more sauce, and splash some heavy whipping cream at the end to thicken the sauce. Changes: Next time I will consider doubling the sauce, especially if I plan on serving with noodles or rice. My chicken was a bit dry; I think I cooked it too long during the browning phase. Will decrease the time for browning. Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Super easy, nice dish for company.

2) Coconut fudge ice cream with banana caramel sauce


Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup superfine sugar
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise

Notes: Making caramel sauce is one of my favorite things to do, mostly because it smells so delicious to make. I made half the serving and used regular sugar (I have no idea what superfine sugar is). I think when I added the cream too quickly because I got a few bits of caramel candy in the sauce. Next time will add the cream slower. I used Bluebell's Coconut Ice Cream with Fudge. Rating: 4 out of 5. A nice, special treat. Not something to make everyday, but fun to do once in awhile.