Hatrack River Forum: Are You Willing to Use Yourself as a Guinea Pig?

This is topic Are You Willing to Use Yourself as a Guinea Pig? in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.

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Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

I was just reading an article on Slate.com about bee sting remedies. The author of the article had himself stung repeatedly by bees so that he could test a variety of over the counter and home remedies.

Would you use yourself as a guinea pig this way? I found the article interesting, and this is the kind of thing that I like to do when I happen to have multiple identical or near identical injuries, but I wouldn't be willing to intentionally hurt myself to do something like this.

Posted by Fitz (Member # 4803) on :

If I was designing a new type of condom, then yes, I would use myself as a guinea pig. [Big Grin]

Posted by Petra'sDaughter (Member # 5539) on :

Noeman---how many times have you had "multiple identical injuries?"

(I'll bet YOUR insurance costs a BUNDLE!) [Big Grin]

[ October 01, 2003, 12:11 PM: Message edited by: Petra'sDaughter ]

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

Oh, now and then. Most recently I got nearly identical injuries on my feet.

Posted by Petra'sDaughter (Member # 5539) on :

eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!

*trying really hard to get picture of blistered oozing feet out of head*

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

[Smile]

Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :

Well, no, since I was allergic to bee stings as a kid.

Anyway, I think the guy is an idiot, because there are internal responses to bee stings, and several stings probably provoke a different chemical/hormonal/antibody/histamine/whatever response than just one. Therefore, his findings are probably of limited value.

If he wanted to play scientist, what he should have done is treated the bee sting with one product, and carefully document his results, with a journal and possibly pictures and graphs, and then induce a new sting well after the first one had healed, and document it in that way. Then he could have compared his notes to see which remedy was more effective.

And while the experiment would take longer, he would not have to suffer the discomfort of multiple bee stings at the same time.

[Roll Eyes]

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

Yeah Icarus, that occurred to me too. Of course, the best thing that he could have done would have been to convince a bunch of people to be subjects in his study.

I sometimes wonder whether I'd be allergic to bee stings. I've never been stung by a bee or a wasp. I've always gotten along well with bees; when I was a kid, I used to feed honeybees and let them crawl on me. Wasps and bumblebees I just avoid.

Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :

I am unwilling to use myself as a Guinea Pig.

I did, once, on a dare, try to use myself as a New Zealand Hamster.

We don't want to get into that.

We really don't want to get into that.

Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :

[Angst]

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

Pictures Dan in a big hampster suit, "using" himself.

Joins Icarus in his [Angst]

Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :

I told you that you didn't want to get into that.

Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :

::Pointedly ignores the cedar chips in Dan's hair::

::making nervous small talk, backs out of thread::

Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :

[ROFL]

You are all WAY too much . . . especially after a beer, before dinner and post-LONG day at work . . .