Animal Medical Research Essay Research Paper Animal

Animal Medical Research Essay, Research Paper

Animal Medical Research

During the past century, mankind has made vital and historical medical breakthroughs in prolonging and improving the quality of life by using animals during biomedical research. For example, according to “Animal Research: The Search For Life Saving Answers” by the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control, “People are living at least 20 years longer thanks to research (with animals) that has led to the control of most infectious diseases”. In spite of this remarkable advancement, animal right activists question the validity of using animals, challenging the moral and ethic issues it raises. Their argument rests on the dogma that the lives of animals equate to human lives and therefore using them is a profound violation of animal rights. In addition, animal right advocates insist that cell and culture tissure can bring about similar results instead of using living creatures. While animal experimentation may appear heartless, the truth is, if mankind is to continue on the road to significant medical progress and to improve life, then researchers must be allowed to rely on the utilization of animals in the development of vaccines, medications and in the progression and improvement of surgical procedures.

Biomedical research has brought about countless benefits to both humans and beasts. Not only have treatments been developed for man, but many medicines have also been discovered for animals too. Many may picture biomedical research involving a mad scientist performing gastly experiments on poor defenseless creatures. On the contrary, animal experimentation was developed for a purpose and to enhance life. According to Lane in “Banning Animal Testing May Be Hazardous To Your Health” the four major goals of animal research are: 1)To provide “knowledge” and to prevent and treat diseases; 2) To use animals as “models for the study of actual diseases”; 3) ” to test potential therapies, diagnostic and surgical procedures, and medical devices”; 4) To test whether or not a newly developed drug is safe and effective.

At one time vivisection, which is the dissection of an animal while it is still alive, was a common practice when it came to studying animals. Today, however, great lengths are taken to ensure that an animal is not caused any undue pain or suffering. In 1996, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report showing that “53 percent of the animals are used in research that involves no pain” and another “35 percent of the animals feel no pain because of receiving pain-killing drugs”.

Today, many rodents are used in virology, which involves breeding to provide hosts for viruses . At least 90 percent of animals used involve rats, mice or other rodents. It is because of their small size, low cost and ease in handling that make them an ideal choice for laboratory experiments.

Because of the forceful battle that the animal rights movement presses, the research establishment has found it difficult to continue in its pursuit of medical advancement. Ten years ago, in a case called “The Spring Monkey Case”, which has been hailed by animal rights activists as a gross example of animal cruelty, a research lab was raided by police for the first time in history. At the time, Dr. Edward Taub was in charge at the Institute for Behaviorial Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. A college student, named Alex Pacheco, volunteered to work for Dr. Taub during the summer. It was during this time that Pacheco claims that the lab was in deplorable condition. Unfortunately for Dr. Taub, who was away on vacation at the time, the lab was raided when Pacheco turned in photographs he had taken to the police. Taub and an assistant were charged with 119 misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals. His assistant was later aquitted, however, Taub was convicted of six counts of failing to provide sufficient veterinary care to six of the monkeys. Later, on appeal, 5 of the counts were dismissed and it was during a second appeal that, finally, the last charge was dropped. It was sometime after that that three national scientific societies took it upon themselves to conduct their own investigation regarding Dr. Taub’s research. They all exhonerated him of all charges and in 1986, he was hired as a professor of psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. Taub’s research had involved using monkeys to use their limbs, eventhough nerves which led from the brain to the arms, had been surgically sliced. Taub’s research encouraged the monkeys to use their arms which were still highly functional, but deadened. As a result of his studies, it has now been discovered that the brain is capable of compensating when it has been damaged by injury. Undeniably, Taub’s research would not have been so successful had he not used animals in his research.

During the past century, biomedical research using animals has been the primary source for many of today’s medical advances. Such breakthroughs include antibiotics for treating bacterial infections, vaccines for small pox, tetanus, chicken pox, polio, measles and lyme disease. How many animal advocates would refuse being vaccinated for these potentially deadly diseases. Also anti-coagulants, chemotherapy for cancer patients, discovery of the HIV virus and drugs that control the progression of AIDS. All these discov