The altruistic medical researcher: gone and forgotten?

With increasing economic, political, and bureaucratic involvement in research, there is little focus on the medical researcher's idealistic and benevolent intentions. Benevolence is a pillar of ethical human-subjects research, and altruism is a form of benevolence that is difficult to quantify. It is interest in the welfare of others without personal benefit. This article examines the extent of altruism in medical research from philosophical, psychological, and practical points of view. With the emergence of experimental human trials in the first half of the century, the fame and recognition of physicians largely precluded altruistic motivation. From the philosophical perspective, altruism is at best an optional moral principle. It is not evident in ethical guidelines. In the scientific process, altruism can exist only in ethical and properly designed research. Egoism, scientific misconduct, and conflicts of interest undermine it; but altruism is also a potential solution for these problems. Research is not globally oriented and has an unjust distribution. In an evolutionary model, altruism cannot thrive due to its lack of rewards and feedback, particularly in the economic climate of today's science. Anonymity is decreasing, selfishness is increasing. Research has become an industry, and virtuous ideals are a romantic notion. If we use altruism as an indicator, then its rarity and fragility indicate research's unhealthy state.