15.7 Research

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*7. Research Summer

Eddie takes instructor Jacques' suggestion to research the question if moderating drinking-alcohol can protect arteries from hardening.
   In order to see if he can demonstrate the affect of alcohol on the artery, he chooses a strain of rats that has a body chemistry that make it easy for them to get hardening of arteries early in their natural lives. This is important because he plans to test for protection against it, and the test would be useless with the normal strain of rat that rarely gets the artery changes. He will stress these rats by feeding one group of 20 a high cholesterol, high fat, high calorie diet, and a same-number, other group will eat a low cholesterol, low fat, low calorie diet, and a 3rd control group, the usual rat diet. The total 60 rats will be divided-up by random number choice - by placing all in a big wire mesh cage, covering the cage and then reaching in and selecting one rat at a time for each one of the 3 groups without being able to see which one is being selected. The idea behind this is that if one selected the rats by sight one might, unaware, bias the experiment by selecting physical types like fat ones or slim ones that had higher or lower rates of the disease one is studying.
   Once the 3 groups are separated, he labels each group high-risk, low-risk, and control. Then within each group, he selects - again at random without sight - 10 for high alcohol intake and 10 for no alcohol. The experiment lasts 6 months. Then all the animals are sacrificed and autopsied and the main artery - the aorta - of each is both bare-eyed and microscopically examined and classified and then a statistical analysis determines whether or not the alcohol intake has made a difference in artery disease and also other organ diseases.
   Eddie talked over the experiment with Danny, and they decided to jointly put in a request for the research grant. And, with Jacques' help and a good write up, they got a $5,000 grant and the use of a lab room for 6 months on the 5th floor with animals and materials.

The result shows a statistically significant protection of the aorta-lining by daily moderate alcohol intake that does not cause damage to liver, heart or brain. Jacques suggests they submit the work to The Proceedings of Experimental Biology and Medicine and it gets published in 1959 under the joint authorship of Eddie as senior author, with Danny and Jacques. Eddie did all the work. It launches Eddie as a scientist. He receives hundreds of requests for reprints and Nina asks him to personally sign her copy. But then one sour note. After reading the paper, Nina says "What a shame to sacrifice those poor animals! There must be a better way to get science knowledge?"
   Eddie considers for more than a moment. "You're right, Nina. That is the last animal-killing I do. And thank you for the critique." Nina smiles, Mona-Lisa like.
   Later, Professor Edwardes asks him to present Sunday Seminar on the the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Prospects for Achieving the One-Million-Hour Life. Eddie also includes in the seminar, Nina's suggestion about considering an experimental animal's conscious life in planning future experiments.
   For next, click 15.8 Nymphomania