In “Patenting Life,” Michael Crichton argues that the government is mismanaging the patent office by granting patents for human genes. Gene patenting is blocking the progress of modern medicine and could cost the lives of many patients. Blocking research results in fewer cures being discovered for modern diseases. The U.S. Patent Office grants patents to companies that discover cures, tests, and medical operations for human genes. These patents are used to compensate these companies for their discovery and encourage them to pursue research and create further medical advancements. Canavan disease is a hereditary disease that babies start showing symptoms at three months old; they cannot crawl or walk and suffer seizures, resulting in paralysis and death by adolescence. The parents of these children engage researchers to help create a Canavan disease identification test by donating tissue and funds. In 1993, the gene is identified and the families receive a commitment from a New York hospital to offer the test free to patients, but the researcher's employer, Miami Children's Hospital Research Institute, patents the gene and refuses to allow any insurance company to do so. offer the test without paying royalties to the institute. Because parents believe that gene patenting should not exist, the absence of their name on the patent gives them no control over the outcome. The idea of ​​personal drug profiling is more in doubt than ever due to the granting of genetic patents to large companies. In this essay Crichton provides many examples of real-life facts and situations where gene patenting has negative effects on the medical population. Crichton uses tone and word choice to emphasize......middle of the paper......ee. The examples and facts he provides are substantially better than those provided by Michael Crichton's “Patenting Life”. Crichton expresses his opinions in the essay to such an extent that he is visibly on the side of antigen patenting throughout the essay. This type of writing is incorrect because it is trying to write an informative topic. Calfee does not express his own point of view in the essay, but instead helps the audience understand the points of view of both sides. Works Cited Crichton, Michael. “Patenting life”. Perspectives on contemporary issues: Readings across the discipline. 7th ed. Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage, 2015. 441-442. Print.Calfee, John. “Decoding the Use of Gene Patents.” Perspectives on contemporary issues: Readings across the discipline. 7th ed. Ed. Katherine Anne Ackley. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage, 2015. 443-444. Press.