Since we were just discussing patents, some might find this opinion by Michael 
Crichton interesting.  You might recall that he was a doctor before he became 
an author....

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/opinion/13crichton.html?ex=1172034000&en=7ea43bf26f91f0fc&ei=5070&emc=eta1%3E

You'll need to have a free login to read it.  Here's a couple of key points:

Gene patents are now used to halt research, prevent medical testing and keep 
vital information from you and your doctor....And they raise costs 
exorbitantly: a test for breast cancer that could be done for $1,000 now costs 
$3,000.

...

But forget the costs: why should people or companies own a disease in the 
first place? They didn’t invent it. Yet today, more than 20 human pathogens 
are privately owned, including haemophilus influenza and Hepatitis C. And 
we’ve already mentioned that tests for the BRCA genes for breast cancer cost 
$3,000. Oh, one more thing: if you undergo the test, the company that owns the 
patent on the gene can keep your tissue and do research on it without asking 
your permission. Don’t like it? Too bad.

...


Jeff
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