The Price of Saying No

After studying to be a medical physician at the University of Ohio, Carl Elliot shifted his focus towards ethics, and he completed a doctorate in philosophy in Glasgow, Scotland. Elliot is now a professor at the University of Minnesota and has published a large collection of works, including five monographs, three edited volumes, and a variety of articles and editorials. In Elliot’s most recent book, The Occasional Human Sacrifice; Medical Experimentation and the Price of Saying No, he examines past cases of whistleblowers exposing moral failings in medicine. By delving into these cases, Elliot dissects the mindset of the whistleblower to understand what differentiates them from their peers who chose to stand by the doctors committing medical atrocities. Furthermore, Elliot asks what narrative can be created for the whistleblower to find peace after doing the right thing has cost them their job, the respect of their peers, and their dignity. 

In his discussion, Elliot brought to light the tragedies of medical malpractice that often remain concealed beneath layers of bureaucracy, professional loyalty, and societal indifference. While his book provides many accounts of medical malpractice, Elliot focused primarily on the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments, led by Dr. Eugene Saenger. Dr. Saenger advertised his studies as research for cancer treatment, while in reality, his research studied the impact of radiation exposure on the human body. One-fourth of the cancer patients who believed they were receiving treatment died after 2 months, and three-fourths died within the year. Despite the horror of these experiments, public knowledge of these events has faded with time. After the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments, a hospital in Cincinnati was named after Dr. Saenger, houses a dedication to his monuments. Close to the hospital, a shrine to the patients who died during the experiments is located behind a church and partially obscured by plant life, as the only object of remembrance for those impacted by the experiments. 

Elliot was honest in his discussion, even when this required him to lead his audience to a painful reality. Whistleblowers must risk everything to speak out against their organization and often end up losing everything in the process.  This is well illustrated by the remembrance of those involved in the Cincinnati Radiation Experiments. As Elliot stated, “To the doctor behind the atrocities there is a shrine, to the victims there is a plaque hidden behind the shrubbery.” The whistleblowers are also often forgotten by their organization after they are fired for “betraying” the organizations they once worked for and are usually unable to reestablish their careers.  The doctors who are exposed for their crimes, on the other hand, escape lasting consequences and are remembered as renowned within their professions.  

We see ourselves as people who would want to speak out against what is wrong, and we want to believe that people who do the right thing will be rewarded for these actions. Elliot tears down these misconceptions to reveal a more painful reality in which most people are too afraid to turn against their organizations to put a stop to injustice, while those who are willing are punished for their selflessness. Still, Elliot provided hope for the whistleblower’s recovery after losing their place among their peers.