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By Junko Hamaguchi
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Illustration by Allan Kukral
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“Research Volunteers Wanted.” We’ve seen this advertisement
in the Columbia Chronicle, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s
fNEWS, the Chicago Reader and UR. “Pay Ranges from $180 to $700.”
Sounds like a good deal. But is it?
At the University of Chicago General Clinical Research Center, where many of these
studies are conducted, subjects can participate in research on drug side effects,
germ resistance and other medical matters. Side effects of these studies range
from nothing at all to the usual drug-warning side effects: constipation, drowsiness,
dizziness and the like, but nothing harmful in the long term.
“Because of our model about safety coming first, we don’t go over
clinically relevant doses,” says James Zacny, Ph.D., associate professor
of psychopharmacology. “We’re no guinea pigs.”
But to some young people who agree to participate in these studies, Zacny’s
reassurance is misplaced.
Bob Helms, the editor of Guinea Pig Zero, a zine in Philadelphia, is proud of
the label “guinea pig.” He notes that this term, which typically is
applied to animals used in experiments, is perfectly applicable to people who
participate such studies and are not respected as human beings. He created his
zine so that human guinea pigs can share their stories and lobby for their rights.
Helms has participated in more than 70 studies since 1995. The money he earns
from them accounts for half his income. (He earns the rest as a freelance house
painter.) The most he ever earned for a day of guinea pig service was $400 for
staying in bed all day with four or five machines monitoring his heart.
“When a doctor says ‘discomfort,’ that means it’s going
to be painful, and when he says ‘painful,’ he means serious pain,”
says Helms. He recalls such pain during some studies in which blood samples were
taken from him. His arms were cut to test the blood clots, he had a tube in his
stomach, and he was catheterized. Of course, the pay increases if the study contains
some pain.
So is it worth it?
“Yes,” says Helms, and then adds with pride, “Being a medical
subject, I like to call myself a guinea pig.” 
To order Guinea Pig Zero, send $5 per copy (cash, check or money order) to:
R. Helms/GPZ, P.O. Box 42531, Philadelphia, PA 19101
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