Question

We respect Dr. Trudeau and all those earlier scientists who did the best they could within the contemporary understanding of the problem they addressed and utilizing the materials and technology they had at hand. Modern-day biologists like to talk about resistance/susceptibility genes and patterns of inheritance, rather than family blood. They think about infectious disease in terms of microbes and pathogenicity, rather than speaking of bad humors. They have identified vitamins and other nutrients that are abundant in some foodstuffs and lacking in other that are essential for optimal immune function. Without the benefit of such modern formulations, Dr. Trudeau, by a disciplined application of scientific curiosity and careful, clever methodology, shed light on each of these concerns, light that helped to illuminate the minds of scientists who came after. Still, a look at his original paper leaves us wondering, were the rabbits genetically identical? Probably not! Why? Were they all of the same sex and age? Couldn’t he have given the animals kept on short rations just a smaller amount of the same varieties of food available to the animals fed abundantly—after all, there might be some important nutrient missing in potatoes. In light of the title of the paper, why not measure bacterial numbers in the rabbits on post mortem rather than just survival time? (In a subsequent paper, he did exactly that.) Once you start critiquing an experiment from 100 years ago, or 10 years ago, or sometimes even last year, it’s hard to stop.

Can you think of anything else you would have changed about the Rabbit Island Experiment?

Answer 1

To enhance Dr. Trudeau's Rabbit Island Experiment from a modern perspective, standardized genetic profiles, careful nutritional control, and detailed post-mortem disease process analysis would be key. Modern techniques would enable a granular study of genes linked to disease resistance and susceptibility.

Step-by-step explanation:

When reflecting on Dr. Trudeau's Rabbit Island Experiment, a modern perspective would suggest several changes to increase the validity and reliability of the findings. Considering microbes and viruses are crucial in genetic research due to their simple structure and ease of manipulation, a more rigorous approach to the experimental design could provide more detailed insights into genetic resistance to infectious diseases. Therefore, one could argue for a more standardized selection of rabbits in terms of genetics, sex, and age. Moreover, ensuring nutritional consistency by providing the same types of food sources, albeit in different amounts, could control for possible nutrient deficiencies impacting immune response.

Perhaps most importantly, subsequent analysis of bacterial numbers, as Dr. Trudeau did in later research, would offer a more granular understanding of the disease process post-mortem. This latter technique is reminiscent of Griffith's experiments, where more intricate observations, such as the bacterial strain's virulence and impact on the host, were made. Modern genetic tools would also now allow for an inquiry into the specific genes related to susceptibility, presenting an opportunity to expand on Trudeau's foundational work.