Animal Testing Introduction

Animal experimentation is the process of using animals to research new technologies, medications, and behaviors of animals. Also known as in vivo testing, vivisection, and animal testing, it is used all over the world to ensure products are safe for human use. People all over the world find the practice to be inhumane, cruel, and unnecessary. Scientists are constantly monitored to ensure regulations are followed, but not all animals are protected under these regulations, and not all regulations are put into place to ensure safety of the animals. Animals have been used for research all throughout history. Several early pioneers of medicine conducted experiments on living animals to advance our understanding of the circulatory system, as well as anatomy, physiology, and pathology of animals and humans alike. One of the most famous of these is the early Greek physician-scientist Aristotle (384-322 B.C.). Drug testing on animals became extremely important in the twentieth century. In 1937, a drug known as Elixir sulfanilamide was created. It contained a solvent known as diethylene …show more content…
Many countries have completely outlawed cosmetic testing, for instance, although some do still require some testing. China removed a requirement for what are deemed ordinary cosmetics (hairspray) to be tested, however, they still require testing on imported and “special-use” products (sunscreen for example). It is still legal to test cosmetics on animals in the United States, although there is a push to try to change that. The U.S. Humane Cosmetics Act was introduced to Congress in 2015. (MacClellan, 2016) Animal abuse is now considered a felony under the eyes of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. All cases of animal abuse are now tracked and offenders are put into a national database which is used to identify patterns that may lead to other forms of abuse, such as child abuse, domestic violence, and even