How about that movie? Please submit the answers to these questions in a Word document via the Digital Drop box.
Lorenzo's Oil Quiz - 10 points
- What was the primary disease in this movie and whom did it affect?
ALD (Adrenoleukodystrophy). It affected the Odones’ son, Lorenzo. In general, it affects only males between the ages of 5 and 10.
2. How would you classify the disease' impact on the patients functional status..mild, moderate or severe, and why?
Severe. It effects almost everything a patient does because it affects the brain. The patient suffers hearing and vision loss, loss of motor control, loss of speech capabilities, eventual paralysis,and dies within 2 years of the onset.
3. In your opinion, how did the research doctors regard Lorenzo's parents?
The doctors thought Lorenzo’s parents were fighting for a lost cause and that they were harboring false hope. They thought that nothing could be done for the disease. The research doctors were very pessimistic in their expectations of Lorenzo’s progress.
4. "The roles of the researchers were juxtaposed or changed in this movie." Explain why this is true.
The researchers in this movie were not the ones who came up with the oil. They were not the ones who were trying to strive for a breakthrough treatment for this disease. They were completely content with just making the patient comfortable until their death, instead of trying to find a cure or an improvement in treating the disease. Lorenzo’s parents took on the role that the researchers should have.
5. Dad had a breakthrough at the library - explain the paperclip analogy/model.
He discovered while having a dream that there is only one enzyme. The chain of carbon atoms that forms the “good guy” chain of fats and the “bad guy” chain that wants to attach to it are the same.
6. Dad was concerned when Lorenzo's friend came from Africa to live with the Adone's and care for Lorenzo. What was Dad's primary concern?
He was concerned about depriving him of his African culture and that he would be prejudiced against in Washington, D.C. He was also worried about Omori being overwhelmed by Lorenzo’s condition compared to how he was when he last saw him.
7. Who was the first human subject to consume the oil and how was it dosed and administered through what portal (ingested, injected, absorbed, inhaled, or other)?
Lorenzo’s aunt Deidre was the first person to consume it. It was ingested by eating it as salad dressing. 8 grams. 4 parts to 3 parts
8. What is the role of money in this research product? Who paid for most of the early groundbreaking research?
It plays a big role because the oil is very expensive to make. Mr. Sutterby paid for the first bottles to be made.
9. The critical mass theory suggests that multiple researchers conclusively find (or frequently stumble upon) an answer to a scientific inquiry. Were the researchers on a single path to finding a cure for this disease?
If you are referring to Lorenzo’s parents as being the researchers, then yes. They were on a single path to finding a cure for the disease because they kept focused on a specific problem and worked through it until they found a solution. If they keep this kind of determination up in their research, they will eventually stumble upon an all-out cure.
10. Consider ethics for a moment. Does this movie represent an appropriate ethical model for research.
Defend your answer.
I believe that this movie does represent an appropriate ethical model for research because I think it is the responsibility of everyone to protect our children and try in every way to help them survive a disease like this. It was well worth the risks that the Odones took to find something that would allow Lorenzo any improvement at all. Their research was worth it because even if Lorenzo never beats the disease completely, their breakthrough will help many boys who get ALD in the future. Without their research, there would have been a lot of other boys that ended up with ALD just as severe as Lorenzo’s. But because of the oil, if it is taken early enough, it can stop the disease.