Abstract
New diseases in humans and animals have been the subject of considerable research as well as policy development and popular attention. Researchers commonly proceed on the basis of plausible assumptions about mechanisms, pathways, and dangers but seldom question the assumptions themselves. Studies in the history and sociology of science show that research trajectories are conditioned by social, political, and economic arrangements. The assumptions underlying research into three new diseases—devil facial tumor disease in Tasmanian devils, AIDS in humans, and leukemia in soft-shell clams—are examined, and dominant and alternative research programs compared. In each case, most research has assumed the disease is spread through “natural processes”, while research about possible human influences has been left undone.
Highlights
New diseases pose both dangers and opportunities
We present case studies of three new diseases said to be contagious: devil facial tumor disease in Tasmania devils, AIDS in humans, and soft-shell clam leukemia
A key assumption in the dominant research program has been that the disease originated “naturally” through a mutation or infection involving a single individual; this assumption underpinned most of the subsequent research
Summary
New diseases pose both dangers and opportunities. The dangers are obvious: possible devastation to humans and animals, possible precisely because the diseases are new, so there is less biologically acquired resistance and less knowledge about how to combat them. We are interested in research pathways that may be neglected even though they have promise To probe this topic, we present case studies of three new diseases said to be contagious: devil facial tumor disease in Tasmania devils (carnivorous marsupials), AIDS in humans, and soft-shell clam leukemia. The assumption that the devil cancer is a natural occurrence has meant that alternative ideas about the possible cause of the cancers, such as the role of pesticides used in plantation forestry, have not been vigorously pursued This is despite the lack of conclusive evidence from either the laboratory or the field that DFTD is transmissible. The alternative theory that marine contamination may be involved in the development of the cancer has not been pursued
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