영국 대학에서 배워보는 광우병 & 인간광우병 무료 강좌

황우석 사태가 한국민에게 복제에 관한 정보를 늘려주었듯이 광우병 사태가 한국민에게 생명과학에 관한 지식을 늘려주고 있다. 생존권을 담보하기 위해서는 광우병에 관한 올바르고 객관적인 지식을 인터넷에서 찾아내는 것도 지금은 절실해 보인다. 인터넷을 통한 집단지성이 이 사회를 얼마나 바꾸어 놓을 수 있을지도 궁금하다. 사회를 바꿀 수 있는 힘이 있어야 진정한 인터넷 강국이라고 말할 수 있지 않을까.
 
동대문구정보화 도서관블로그에서는 광우병에 관한 도서를 소개하고 있다. 결국은 정보와 논리의 싸움이다. 더 신뢰할 수 있는 정보와 그 정보를 바탕으로 하는 논리가 정연해야 이번 정부의 부실 협상을 되돌릴 수 있을 것이다.

영국은 광우병이 시발된 곳이고 가장 많은 피해자를 낸 곳이다. 광우병에 관한 정보는 그 병이 많이 창궐한 지역에서 가장 많이 연구되고, 가장 많이 알고 있을 거라는 상식적인 생각이 든다. 그래서, 영국 The Open University에서 제공하는 광우병(BSE)과 인간광우병(vCJD)에 관한 무료 웹강좌를 소개한다. Openlearn이라는 공개강좌 사이트에는 이외에도 다양한 강좌가 많이 등록되어 있다.

BSE and vCJD: their biology and management 목차 정보

	Introduction Introduction Resource The Open University course S250 Science in context looks at a range of science-based topics of current or recent importance to public debates about science. It does this by examining the scientific facts...
	1 Introduction 1.1 Unit overview Resource BSE and vCJD are important in their own right, having had major impacts on the lives of many people. Some people have died of vCJD and their deaths will have profoundly affected those who knew them. Large... 1.2 BSE Resource In December 1984, it was noticed that a cow on a Sussex farm was displaying head tremors and loss of coordination. The animal died in February 1985. The vet regarded this case as sufficiently serious for... 1.3 Pre-existing human TSEs Resource Before BSE was recognised, several distinct human TSEs were already known, the most significant of which are outlined below. Human TSEs can have incubation periods of several decades between initiation... 1.4 TSEs and non-human animals Resource Several TSEs of non-human animals were also known before the recognition of BSE and others have come to light subsequently. The most significant of the former is scrapie, a disease of sheep that has been... 1.5 BSE and risks to human health: vCJD Resource Given this background, it is not surprising that the possibility that BSE in cattle might pose a health risk to humans was given serious consideration from a very early stage in the outbreak. Various precautionary...
	2 The biology of prions 2 The biology of prions Resource The increasing interest in kuru during the 1950s and 1960s had the effect of stimulating research into TSEs in humans and other animals.
	3 The origin and spread of BSE 3 The origin and spread of BSE Resource In the light of the above discussion about prions, what is the most probable explanation for the spread of BSE among cattle?
	4 The emergence of vCJD 4 The emergence of vCJD Resource We now turn our attention to vCJD.
	5 The epidemiology of vCJD 5 The epidemiology of vCJD Resource In 1990, six years before the probable link between BSE and vCJD was established, the CJD Surveillance Unit was set up in Edinburgh. All suspected TSEs in humans have to be referred to this Unit, which...
	6 Is prion-like behaviour exceptional or the norm? 6 Is prion-like behaviour exceptional or the norm? Resource At the time of writing (2005), it is widely – but certainly not universally – accepted that TSEs are triggered by prions. Prions consist entirely and exclusively of PrP protein. In particular, they contain...
	7 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode: an overview 7 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode: an overview Resource Having concentrated so far on the ‘science’ behind BSE and vCJD, we now turn our attention to how the episode was managed by scientists, politicians and other relevant decision makers. Not surprisingly,...
	8 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode up to May 1990 8 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode up to May 1990 Resource BSE was formally recognised as a new disease in November 1986. However, this information was kept under ‘embargo’ at first while an initial epidemiological study – involving the collection of data from...
	9 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode from May 1990 to March 1996 9 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode from May 1990 to March 1996 Resource The discovery of FSE in the domestic cat and TSEs in antelopes of five different species (Section 4) – plus laboratory transmission of BSE to a pig – confirmed the transferability of BSE between species....
	10 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode from March 1996 10 Managing the BSE/vCJD episode from March 1996 Resource In March 1996, SEAC announced that the CJD Surveillance Unit had identified vCJD as a new human disease, the first death from which occurred in May 1995. SEAC concluded that, although there was no direct...
	11 The official inquiries 11 The official inquiries Resource In December 1997, the UK government announced the Public Inquiry into BSE that was to be chaired by Lord Justice Phillips. Public hearings commenced in March 1998 and eventually concluded in December 1999....
	12 The international dimension 12.1 An overview Resource Although by 2000 the number of new confirmed cases of BSE in the UK was approaching zero (Figure 1), several of these involved cattle born since the tightening of feed controls in August 1996. By then,... 12.2 Dealing with vCJD Resource Although the UK's BSE epidemic had been brought under control by 2004, relatively small numbers of cases of BSE continue to arise throughout the world. It would now take extreme carelessness for a BSE...
	13 Unit summary 13 Unit summary Resource BSE is a TSE disease of cattle that was formally recognised in 1986. It developed to epidemic proportions in the UK, reaching a peak in 1992. Although BSE is now fading away in the UK, cases have eventually...
	14 Unit questions and answers 14 Unit questions and answers Resource Note: Question 1 is included in Section 3.
	References and Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Resource