What Is Firestein's Repretations Of Failure And Ignorance?

I have not had much experience as a researcher, but I have had plenty of experience as a test subject. More specifically, I was diagnosed with complex partial seizures in my left temporal lobe as a young child, and when I was fifteen years old in 2011, I had a walnut-sized portion of my brain removed in hopes of a solution. Following the resection, I was seizure free for about two years, but then my seizures returned, and I still experience them today (However, it has been about a month—the longest period in years—since my most recent one). I can associate many aspects of Firestein’s interpretations of failure and ignorance with my personal quest. Indeed, I strongly agree with Firestein that ignorance is what drives science, and failure stems …show more content…
Many others with complex partial seizures (and epilepsy in general) are in the same boat, so this issue underlines how ignorant we are on pharmaceutical treatment for seizures. Appropriately, Firestein highlights how drug research tops the charts of failures in science. Despite my failed attempts with many drugs, the drugs which have been effective to a certain degree have given me hints about the possible neural mechanisms involved during my seizures. Although the mechanisms of action are not fully understood, the drug I’m currently on primarily acts on sodium channels, and other drugs I’ve had success with in the past act predominantly on cannabinoid …show more content…
This parable is analogous to my temporal lobe resection in that it did not turn out the way I had hoped, but it increased my drive to study neuroscience and motivation to search for a deeper understanding of epilepsy. During the summer four years following my procedure, I interned at my pediatric epileptologist’s clinic in Houston, and she would often jovially discuss how she wishes that she could have a firsthand experience of electrodes implanted directly on her brain. Subsequently, she encouraged me to have a more positive outlook on and embrace the significance of my direct experience. Firestein expresses how good discovery uncovers more and better ignorance, so despite the return of my seizures, my case has evoked more questions for both others and myself to consider. Hence, maybe there are other methods to look for the black cat in the room, or maybe I have been in the wrong room this whole time. Either way, I believe my procedure was a necessary step at the time, and I appreciate the fact I wasn’t put in a psychiatric ward like I may have been if I was born years ago, but we still do have a long way to go with research on epilepsy