Vivisection, or animal testing is a very old and well-known procedure. Scientists have used vivisection since the beginning of scientific medicine. Most of the medical advancement in the 20th century has been directly or indirectly related to the use of animal testing. There are astonishing benefits of animal testing but the majority of people, when even hearing the topic of animal testing, don't even bother to listen the pros and cons of the issue because they have already decided that animal testing is wrong. Animal testing has greatly contributed to providing society with the best medical breakthroughs to improve our lives. I will explain what products are tested on animals and what test are conducted and their benefits, what alternatives are to animal testing and their problems, and the concept of Replacement, Reduction and refinement.
There are many products and chemicals that are tested on animals for safety purposes. These include drugs, vaccines, cosmetics, household cleaners, packing materials and pesticides. The tests account for approximately only 10 to 20 percent (or 2 to 4 million) of animals in labs but raises issues of ethics and humaneness of poisoning and harming animals in order to market new cosmetic or household products. It raises the question of whether or not the data from these tests is applicable to humans. Although animal experimentation is responsible for a variety of medical breakthroughs, many arguments discredit animal research. Activists claim that animals are different from humans. This is certainly true, but even though there are obvious differences, all mammals have the same basic organs. The heart, lungs, kidneys and liver all perform the same functions and have the same structures as humans. Scientists often learn from the biological differences. It is essential that new drugs be tested before distributing those drugs to humans. A new drug can only be a potential life-saving medicine if it is determined to be safe for people to use.
