Subcutaneous Medicine

This week I found an article about technology and medicine.  Massachusetts scientists created a chip that would be implanted into a body that would deliver the correct doses of medicine at pre-determined times or remotely!  This product works well for patients who often forget to take their medicines at the correct times, or for people whose doctors want to change their dosage. 

This is a huge step forward in technology!  The idea that will someday not have to remember our pills in the morning is really interesting to me!  The chips are about the size of a flash drive and are inserted under the skin by the waistline.  Many of the tested patients forgot they were there. 

This chip does the work that some patients find unpleasant, as it can replace the need for painful injections that can also be time consuming.  Right now, the medicine is just for osteoporosis patients, but with slight changes it could be altered for the future.  This could change the future of drug manufacturing as we know it! 

The idea here reminds me of Carr’s argument.  Would this be making us lazy?  I doubt it would make us stupid, but I could definitely see how humans are being re-programmed to not have to remember simple things.  Soon, we won’t need to remember or even learn how to parallel park, because cars are doing it for us.  Does this invention mean we won’t have to learn how to swallow pills?  (Although, to be honest, that would have been great for me – it took me FOREVER to learn!)

It feels like a bit of a double edged sword.  If we move forward in technology, we may continue to create products that make humans stupid or lazy, but if we don’t, why do we still need engineers?  They would become lazy and obsolete if we didn’t give someone a reason to create new things. 

Coxworth, Ben. "Scientists Report Success in First Human Tests of Drug-delivery Chip." Gizmag. Gizmag, 17 Feb. 2012. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. <http://www.gizmag.com/chip-implant-delivers-medication/21508/>.