1) Ownership of genetic material is still a vexed issue. Many human genes have been patented and a battle is: currently being fought through the US courts between doctors and a biotech company owning the patent for genes used in breast cancer research screening. What are thoughts about research and patents in this now 'profit making' industry?
2) The book is filled with stories of people used as research subjects, sometimes without their knowledge, sometimes with ill- informed consent sometimes because of their inability to understand or resist. Were you aware of this history before reading the book? Do you think doctors and researchers of the past had a fundamentally different view of people than they do today?