David Vetter

David Joseph Vetter III (September 21, 1971–February 22, 1984) was a boy from Houston, Texas who suffered from a rare genetic disease now known as Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Forced to live in a sterile environment, he became popular with the media as the boy in the plastic bubble.

Impact on scientific ethics

David's life coincided with the birth of gene therapy. At the time, the approach of Vetter's doctors was to proceed with conception and address contingencies as they appeared. Subsequently, most genetic diseases were found to be incurable with then-current technology. Medical philosophy changed to prefer early recognition and prevention of genetic disease.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~