Animal Testing in Medical Rese

To begin I would like to discuss some of the basics about animal testing in order to generate a general idea of the topic. Animals form the bulk of medical research subjects. Animals are used in research to study living systems and to learn more about common animal and human disorders. Animal testing involves vivisection, the act of cutting into or dissecting the body of a living animal (McCoy, 1993).

There is a list of animals used in biomedical research. These include cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, mice, rats, monkeys, chimpanzees, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and swine. As far as how many animals are used each year, estimates vary according

When it comes to the treatment of animals used in medical research, various public and private organizations have designed procedures for the care and use of these animals. One way in which laboratory animals are protected from abuse is by the government requiring that a veterinarian supervise their care. Even if there were not any guidelines required for researchers to follow with the treatment of animals used in testing, it is unlikely that any mistreatment would occur. Researchers are well aware that the condition and well-being of their animals are crucial factors in the yield and validity of their experiments. Researchers know that undue pain or stress can produce unwanted variables in their findings and these variables can interfere with the interpretation of the results. Only a negligent researcher would mistreat his or her laboratory animals (McCoy, 1993).

One of the big factors as to why I am for animal testing in medical research came as a result of my research on the contributions of animal testing. I found that animal testing has affected me personally. When I was younger, my father was diagnosed with having leukemia, a type of cancer. If it were not for the discovery of chemotherapy, which was found by animal testing, my father would not have had the treatment that helped save his life. When it comes to morality, yes I feel that an animal has a right to live, but when it comes down to an animal’s life or my father’s, I think it is obvious which one I’d pick-my father’s.

There is a history behind animal testing in research. Animals have been used in research for more than two thousand years. In the third century B.C., Erasistratus of Alexandria used animals to study bodily function. Galen, who was born in 131 A.D., is considered the founder of experimental physiology. He used animals to prove his theory that veins carry blood and not air (Day, 1994). Rene Descartes, a famous historical philosopher, defended the practice of using animals in medical research. Just as there is a history to supporting animal testing, there is also a history to the opposition of it. Opposition to animal testing has been present for more than 400 years. Another philosopher, Jeremy Bentham, is known for his opposition to using animals in research (Day, 1994).

McCoy, J.J. (1993). Animals in research issues and conflicts.

The main issue that those who oppose animal testing have is with morality. They believe humans and animals are equals, we humans are animals too. They accept as true there is no one superior species. As one activist Chris DeRose puts it, “A life is a life. If the death of one rat cured all diseases it wouldn’t make any difference to me. In the scheme of life we’re equal (Day, 1994).” The biggest concern that those opposing animal testing have is the animals

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