TORONTO — Stating that treatment of his painful and debilitating skin condition could certainly wait, Leonard Mendes, one of 49 subjects in the placebo control group for the study of a potentially revolutionary eczema drug, said he's just happy to contribute to science.

"I'm playing an essential part in a clinical trial! I mean, how cool is that?" Mendes said, smiling as he scratched the bright red and blistered skin on his wrist that must remain untreated until the 12-week trial is over.

According to sources close to the 41-year-old-man, Mendes guessed he was given the placebo roughly one week after the trial began, when he woke up to a flurry of new rashes covering his neck, back, and arms. However, the discovery did little to dampen Mendes' mood, who proudly told friends and family that the best high in the world is knowing you were part of a standard control component necessary to prove a drug's efficacy.

"Sure, some relief from my rashes, maddening itchiness, and painfully dry feet would've been nice, but how can you complain knowing that the results of the trial you're participating in might one day be presented at conference or published in a peer-reviewed journal?"

UPDATE: Upon learning that Mendes was aware he was in the placebo control group, researchers terminated the study and declared the findings unusable.

Mendes was unavailable for comment.