NOVA — Season 1, Episode 9: Are You Doing This for Me, Doctor?

Episode synopsis

The advance of medicine depends inevitably on the testing of experimental procedures on human volunteers from either the healthy or the sick. Yet such procedures are often dangerous, and may not be of direct benefit to the subject. NOVA examines how individuals' interests are safeguarded, and asks, under what circumstances experiments should be conducted on children.

About NOVA

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

More episodes from Season 1

• E1The Making Of A Natural History Film
• E2Where Did the Colorado Go?
• E3Whales, Dolphins, and Men
• E4The Search For Life
• E5Last of the Cuiva
• E6Strange Sleep
• E7The Crab Nebula
• E8Bird Brain: The Mystery of Bird Navigation
• E10The First Signs Of Washoe
• E11The Case of the Midwife Toad
• E12Fusion: The Energy of Promise
• E13The Mystery Of The Anasazi