Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, is the use of animals to conduct experiments or do research in the laboratory. Animals have been repeatedly used for centuries to advance the understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathology and pharmacology. Such experiments were performed by early Greek physician-scientists, such as Aristotle, (384 – 322 BC), Erasistratus, (304 – 258 BC), and Galen (129 – 210 AD) (Hajar). Animal testing can be crucial to scientific development because they provide a basis on how medicinal proposal may work on the human species. There are many people who support this form of scientific research because they believe it is better to test on animals rather than humans themselves because it is “impractical
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Developments in the treatment of diabetes, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, leukemia, and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, have been made possible through the use of animals in scientific research. Scientists such as John Gibbon of Jefferson Medical College spent 20 years doing animal research to make open-heart surgery, which saves lives of an estimated 440,000 people every year in the U.S. alone a norm(Botting 82). According to the American Physiological Society (APS), "without animal experimentation, it would be impossible to improve the quality of life for both people and animals." Approximately 17 million animals are used in medical research each year in the United States. Each animal species is selected because researchers believe it serves as an exceptional model of some aspect of human physiology. Some examples of animals that are used for research are crayfish, armadillos, pigs, woodchucks, sheep and squids. The crayfish are used to study muscle functions, while the armadillos are used to study leprosy. Pigs are then used to develop new surgical techniques and to study influenza. Since sheep’s share anatomic similarities between humans, they are becoming popular models to study diseases and injuries of the bones, joints, and muscles (Haugen 136). …show more content…
Refinement on the other hand, is the subtle approach which advocates the reduction of incidence or severity of distress experienced by laboratory animals. Lastly, reduction entails obtaining precise information with animals through the use of well-designed, well conducted, reliable experiments that do not involve endless repetition of the same tests (Vencatesan). Approximately 50 different alternative methods have been developed and have been accepted by international regulatory authorities. An example of those 50 different alternatives are the usage of blood from human volunteers to test for the presence of fever-causing contaminants in intravenous medicines. This alternative can save hundreds of thousands of rabbits each year from traditional "pyrogen" test. Another alternative example would be using the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability Test and the Isolated Chicken Eye Test. These tests will use eyes from animals that has already been slaughtered for the meat industry instead of live rabbits to detect chemicals and products that are severely irritating to the eyes
Developments in the treatment of diabetes, neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, leukemia, and inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's disease, have been made possible through the use of animals in scientific research. Scientists such as John Gibbon of Jefferson Medical College spent 20 years doing animal research to make open-heart surgery, which saves lives of an estimated 440,000 people every year in the U.S. alone a norm(Botting 82). According to the American Physiological Society (APS), "without animal experimentation, it would be impossible to improve the quality of life for both people and animals." Approximately 17 million animals are used in medical research each year in the United States. Each animal species is selected because researchers believe it serves as an exceptional model of some aspect of human physiology. Some examples of animals that are used for research are crayfish, armadillos, pigs, woodchucks, sheep and squids. The crayfish are used to study muscle functions, while the armadillos are used to study leprosy. Pigs are then used to develop new surgical techniques and to study influenza. Since sheep’s share anatomic similarities between humans, they are becoming popular models to study diseases and injuries of the bones, joints, and muscles (Haugen 136). …show more content…
Refinement on the other hand, is the subtle approach which advocates the reduction of incidence or severity of distress experienced by laboratory animals. Lastly, reduction entails obtaining precise information with animals through the use of well-designed, well conducted, reliable experiments that do not involve endless repetition of the same tests (Vencatesan). Approximately 50 different alternative methods have been developed and have been accepted by international regulatory authorities. An example of those 50 different alternatives are the usage of blood from human volunteers to test for the presence of fever-causing contaminants in intravenous medicines. This alternative can save hundreds of thousands of rabbits each year from traditional "pyrogen" test. Another alternative example would be using the Bovine Corneal Opacity and Permeability Test and the Isolated Chicken Eye Test. These tests will use eyes from animals that has already been slaughtered for the meat industry instead of live rabbits to detect chemicals and products that are severely irritating to the eyes