Hancock and Bezold (2017) clarified that instead of studying the nonexistent future, futurists are concerned with studying ideas about the future and operate under the assumption that the future is a moldable thing that can be shaped by the decisive actions of today. The following discussion highlights a prediction within the medical community that eventually came to fruition. The original idea is introduced and the history of its subsequent origin and evolution is reviewed. Concluding remarks summarize the main discussion points.
According to Northfield (2019), Robert Boyle’s scientific research conducted during the 1660s earned him the recognition of being hailed as the father of modern chemistry. Although he is most known for Boyle’s Law and its explanation of the behaviors of gas, Keller (2012) also emphasized his forward-thinking visions of a potential future. His futurist thoughts were penned in a private journal and itemized as a wish list of possibilities which at the time were thought to be impossible. Feeling that scientific advancements could eventually make these things come true, some of his desires included the wish for: perpetual light, underwater functioning, flying, precisely detecting longitudes, varnishes made perfumable by rubbing, and the restoration of the hair and teeth of one’s youth (Henderson, 2010). Reflections of the modern world immediately illuminate the fact that many of these wishes have become a reality, as innovations such as light bulbs, hair dyes, scratch and sniff stickers, scuba-diving, planes, and satellite navigation systems have helped achieved these dreams. Another one of Boyle’s wishes concerned the cure of diseases by transplantation and the remainder of this discussion focuses on how organ transplantation eventually came to be.
Schlich (2011) explained that prior to the late 1800s, medical treatments were based on the idea that the body interacted with its peripheral environment and best functioned when its internal fluids were balanced. This line of belief led to the conclusion that sickness was the result of either an imbalance in bodily fluids, poor/evil choices made by the ill person, or another negative external factor. As such, most medical treatments involved prayer, exorcisms, or rebalancing the fluids through practices of purging, vomiting, or bloodletting. Organ transplantations would not have fit within such a framework, so the shift towards viewing the body as a network of interactive appendages was an essential force in support of its eventual adoption. Surgical excision of diseased tissues eventually paved the way for the realization that new things could be inserted once the damaged matter was removed. This concept of body part exchangeability served as a fundamental steppingstone (Schlich, 2011).
Schlich (2011) detailed the second force supporting organ transplantation to be the technical prowess for the transplantation to actually be successful. In addition to the skillset and instruments necessary for navigating the surgery without risking death upon the patient, attention also needed to be given to making sure that the organ could survive post-transplant. For example, early work within this realm found that when organs were transplanted among different animal species, the organ eventually died. From there, additional work focused on matching donors and recipients by blood groups, family relationships, and enhanced immune system functioning.
In conclusion, many of Robert Boyle’s future visions came to be realized many years after he imagined his ideas. Organ transplantation, which was one of his big dreams, provides an example of one of his predictions that came true. The main forces supporting the materialization of this innovation were the dynamic shift in viewing the body and understanding how to treat disease, as well as the technical tools and know-how to perform successful surgeries.
References
Hancock, T., &
Bezold, C. (2017). Futures thinking and healthy cities. In: E. De Leeuw and J.
Simos (eds) Healthy Cities, 449-462. 10.1007/978-1-4939-6694-3_19
Henderson, F.
(2010). What scientists want: Robert Boyle’s to do list. https://royalsociety.org/blog/2010/08/what-scientists-want-boyle-list/
Keller, V. (2012).
The New World of Sciences: The temporality of the research agenda and the
unending ambitions of science. Isis, 103(4), 727-733. https://doi.org/10.1086/669047
Northfield, R. (2019).
Who saw that coming? I did! Engineering & Technology, 14(5), 26-29. https://doi.org/
10.1049/et.2019.0523
Schlich, T.
(2011). The origins of organ transplantation. The Lancet, 378(9800),
1372-1373. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61601-2
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