Should therapeutic cloning be supported to provide stem cells for cardiothoracic surgery research and treatment?
The excitement and controversy surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells were captured by 2 outstanding scholars who presented their arguments in a brilliant debate, genially and thoughtfully moderated by Bob Guyton of Atlanta, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Emory University. Their arguments are summarized here using the words of the debaters as much as possible. Both have reviewed and approved this condensed version. Pro: Paul Berg, Cahill Professor of Cancer Research at Stanford, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980 for developing methods that make it possible to analyze the structure and function of DNA and its role in the development of genetic engineering. Professor Berg opened the debate by expressing his hope, as a patient who has survived a heart attack, that stem cells could one day be used to repair the injured myocardium. He then described the origin and capabilities of stem cells. There is 1 tissue-specific stem cell in every 25,000 bone marrow cells, and one of t
