SoylentNews

Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

The anarchist and former labor activist Robert Helms, 58, from Philadelphia, has for the last ten years earned most of his living from clinical trials, or, as he puts it, as a "guinea pig." Over that time he took part in 75 studies, often Phase I studies, in which new medicines are tried on healthy participants. Helms, who earns his money today as a painter, still maintains the website guineapigzero.com [guineapigzero.com], an "electronic job magazine for people who want to be used as medical or pharmaceutical test subjects."

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Weren't you afraid of dangerous side effects in these experiments?

Helms: I know, there had been frightening incidents in studies, but nothing bad ever happened to me. One time I fainted and my face fell in my food, but that was it. Also, because I was lucky: Once I was supposed to take a medicine for heart arrhythmia. My doctor had said to me beforehand, "Bob, that is not a job for a couch potato!" But because of weather the compound didn't arrive at the Study Center and I couldn't take it. Shortly thereafter I spoke with someone who had tested it and suffered severe side-effects.

College roommates of mine made several thousand dollars one summer for a sleep (deprivation) study. Have any Soylentils done likewise?

Original Submission