Whimsical Lair

An excerpt of today’s news - French woman has first partial face transplant.

LYON, France (Reuters) - French surgeons have performed what they said on Wednesday was the world’s first partial face transplant — giving a new nose, chin and lips to a woman savaged by a dog.

Specialists from two French hospitals carried out the operation on a 38-year-old woman on Sunday in the northern city of Amiens by grafting on tissues, muscles, arteries and veins from a brain-dead woman. "The patient is in an excellent state and the transplant looks normal," the hospitals said in a brief statement after waiting three days to announce the pioneering surgery.

The woman, who was not identified, had been left without a nose and lips after the dog attacked her last May, and was unable to talk or chew properly.

It appears that the old debacle over the morality of intervenious medical science is back on the burner. Previously it was the morality of bearing a child for the sake of providing a bone marrow for his/her sibling who is dying of leukemia, euthanasia on issues of the right to live or the right to die, on abortions, on transgender operations and its implication on religion and values of society, on plastic surgeries, on skin grafting procedures, on organ transplants, cloning etc etc.

Now you take another person’s nose and lips (note the other debacle about whether someone who is brain dead is really dead though according to medical science a person is properly dead once he/she is brain dead) and plaster it on someone else? Hmm I think this will raise more concerns on ‘morals and values’ of the human society considering the donor would not be able to properly consent (assuming one never consented to having the nose and lips grafted upon death) - until the issues may be sorted out on the morality of taking organs from those who has not in their lifetime consented to donate them vs the right to the quality of life of those who are alive but horribly disfigured, i doubt there this issue may be resolved.

Morality and values are deemed and judged by society. Note the cultural and religious differences between societies and the values appreciated by them - I doubt there is a certain standard that can be deemed as a ’societal value’ that may be shared by all. Medical science on the other hand is judged by the advancement of the human mind and capability to reduce the suffering and/or to save the lives of people.

I doubt there will ever be a consensus on these issues. To be or not to be … that is the question.

Hmm … a little help? I can’t seem to post a comment on my own blog. LOL. I don’t know how I used to do it though …. Can anyone help?

Jason: Thanks for your lovely wishes. I have updated your blog link appropriately.

SY: Thanks Do keep in touch, maybe we should have a SRK gathering soon …

Hi hi …

Its been a while I know, time for me to reassert myself in the blogging world. I have delayed in updating my blog, simply because I have finally resigned from my old job, and found a new one. With the initial plan of helping my hubby out, I was surprised myself how come I accepted a new job? Well, to be frank, I didn’t expect to be hired when I first tendered my resignation … but after I did, they offered me a position here. Much thought and consideration I finally decided to accept the job offer for the following reasons:

1. The pay is better

2. Its less risky as compared to working for my hubby

3. The new boss

4. The new environment

5. The nature of work

6. The job experience

For those who are interested, I shall henceforth be doing internal auditing. People here appears thus far rather friendly. The workspace is very nice, the decor appears urhmm … nice. hahaha. Don’t know how to describe really but its a very cheery environment. And no need to pay a single cent for canteen food!! But then, the food’s not very interesting …

One downpoint is that expenses increases here … Parking here even more expensive than before, food as well. And another downpoint, it seems that the boss doesn’t allow ‘tah pau’ food … Smells it seems. So therefore my bad habit … virtually non-existent anymore. Never during working hours, minimal before and after work (due to time constraint). AHAHA. Oh, the silence here can be really defeaning sometimes too, as this is a very small firm, and almost everyone goes in and out, in and out …

Oh oh … one more thing I forgot to blog about … I am legally married! Got registered on the 30th of September, though culturally I am not considered married as yet. This will have to be delayed for the time being, $$ being a big factor. Terrible to have big families at this time. LOL. Kidding, kidding. Took some pictures for the day, will post it up when it is convenient.

Will have more to blog about soon …