Sheldon Krimsky, Science in the Private Interest: Has the Lure of Profits Corrupted Biomedical Research?

摘要

Sheldon Krimsky's book discusses the growing influence of the private sector on public science. This is a development which most scientists are aware of, but that nonetheless has generated little discussion outside of the scientific community and been largely ignored by the social sciences. He argues that through increasing cooperation between private companies and academic researchers we are witnessing "significant changes in the culture, norms, and values of academic science" (p. 1), and thus, the loss of what he calls the "public-interest science." In order to illustrate his thesis he focuses on biomedical research in the USA, an arena where conflicts of interest can have immediate effects on human health, life or death. It is a field in which Krimsky is ideally placed to make a contribution. He is Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at the School of Arts and Sciences and an adjunct Professor at the Department of Public Health and Family Medicine at Tufts University. His research has centered on the connections between science, ethics and values, and public policy.