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The Not-So-Hidden Secret That Scientists Experiment on Themselves
Some influential discoveries have come from researchers experimenting on their own bodies
There is a long and storied history of scientists experimenting on themselves. Some of this research has resulted in life-saving discoveries and major accolades. For example, in the early 1980s, Australian scientist Barry Marshall drank a broth containing the bacterial strain Helicobacter pylori to prove that the bacteria, not stress, caused stomach ulcers. Sacrificing his gut ultimately earned him a Nobel Prize. Other auto-experiments have provided alternative contributions to humanity, like Albert Hofmann who accidentally (and then intentionally) dosed himself with LSD after discovering the compound while searching for new medical drugs.
According to one 2019 paper, this type of research remains a modern practice. Out of 52 scientists surveyed, 26 admitted to experimenting on themselves in procedures ranging from testing their own bodily fluids to taking an experimental drug.
Brian Hanley, an author on the paper and founder of the one-man biotechnology company Butterfly Sciences, speculates that the self-experimentation rate is even higher. “When I talk to people who are actively involved in biological research… those who were above…
