My Year of Meats

"DES, or diethylstilbestrol, is a man-made estrogen that was first synthesized in 1938 [...] The males develop female characteristics -- plum breasts and succulent meats -- desirable assets for one's dinner [...] Sure, there were accounts of farmers who accidentally breathed or ingested DES powder and started showing symptoms such as impotence, infertility, gynecomastia (enlarged and tender breasts), and changes in their voice register [...] Meanwhile, all this time, since it was first synthesized, DES was being used for another purpose entirely. Researchers and doctors were prescribing it for pregnant women in the belief that DES would prevent miscarriages and premature births [...] DES exposed daughters were suffering from irregular menstrual cycles difficult pregnancies, and structural mutations of the vagina, uterus, and cervix. DES sons developed congenital malformations including undescended and atrophied testicles, abnormally undersize penises, defective sperm production, and low sperm count, all of which increased the risk of testicular cancer and infertility [...] Today, although DES is illegal, 95 percent of feedlot cattle in the U.S. still receive some form of growth-promotiing hormone or pharmaceutical in feed supplements" (124-126).

      Up above is the compilation of the quotes from the book My Year of Meats that I think are related to the topic that I chose, which is about hormones in meat. I think that the idea of inventing DES at the first place was intelligent. After knowing all the side effects that it has on our health, I freaked out and I don't think DES should be used any longer. Almost everyone knows about this issue already, but I am just wondering, why are the meat producers still use DES for the meat to be juicier and cheaper to produced, when they already know the consequences? In my opinion, those people are selfish since they only think about themselves and not the others. All they think about is money, money, and money. They want to make profits by injecting DES to their meats because it will take less time and less money to pay the labors. For me, money isn't all I need. I know that it can make me satisfy, I can buy all the things I want, but it doesn't stay forever, right? It is better to live longer and happier that meat with DES is no longer produced and so no one would turn sick because of it, than die young just because of money. Not just die young, but it also harm others and damage their health at the same time.
     This book is related to my topic about hormones in meat because this book mentioned a lot about the effects of unhealthy hormones on people, for example Rose, Jane, Jane's mom, and Gale. Rose had breasts even though she was still a little kid. "I think she's received some sort of hormone poisoning, probably from the drugs around the feedlot, and that's why she's got breasts. There's a name for it. It's called premature thelarche" (273). Jane had a miscarriage and it was hard for her to be pregnant. She also had her tumor operated in Japan because of cancer. Jane's mom also had a hard time to be pregnant and had 3 miscarriages before Jane was born. Gale was a guy and his breasts enlarged and his vocal elevated.