Animal Testing Research Paper

Animal Experiments
Academic Paper

Animals have been used in experiments and research for centuries. The earliest references to animal testing are found in the writings of the Greeks in the third and fourth centuries BC and using animal continuous increasingly to the present time. When the first rockets were launched there was a chimpanzee in this vehicle which went to death. In order to find new treatments, bacteria or viruses carrying disease were injected to laboratary animals. Many scientists had done vivisection to understand human’s physiology. Today animals are still used in the experiments and tests such as medical and veterinary research, drug research, agricultural experiments, household product tests, warfare and space research,
psyhology expriments and genetic engineering research. According to BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) (n.d. ), almost three million animals are used for experiments in the UK every year. Therefore an animal dies in a laboratory somewhere in the UK every 12 seconds (n.pag.). As a result of all these reasons mentioned above people can not decide whether animal experiments should be done or not. Advocates of animal experiments claim that animals’ genes and psyhologies are like us and these similarities bring scientists great facilities for their researches about human health. And also they are likeminded that using human beings in some studies is very unethical instead of using animals. On the other hand, proponents of banning animal experiments argue that, these experiments are very barbaric and also useless. They defend using other applicable methods and developing these inoffensive methods.
In the light of all this information the aim of the literature part of this paper is to answer the fallowing question.
• According to medicine authorities, why are animal experiments useful and indispensable?
*A variety of reasons have been pointed to explain why animal experiments are useful and indispensable. In the past many treatment methods have been found for dangerous diseases that killed millions of people thanks to the animal experiments. EFPIA (The European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations) (2004) mention this topic like that; many vaccines for fatal diseases such as rabies, polio, diphteria, rubelle, measles, mumps, hepatitis and meningitis are found by animal researches. Studying on lab animals, the role of insulin in diabetes and role of cholesterol in cardiovascular diseases are discovered. In addition to these finds, trying to perform surgery on animals, it was taken the first step of present organ transplant (p.2). Likewise, McGuaire, R. (1998) gave some striking suppositions in his presentation; chemotheraphy which save children patients of lymphocytic leukemia would not be known by doctors, 60 million Americans would risk death from heart attack, stoke or kidney failure because they would not have medication to control their high blood pressure, if animals are not used in researches (n. pag.).
*Other critical point is that nobody wants to use “no tested” products and firms want to make their products more safe and reliable.
And also testing these products on human beings is illegal and unethical. Because of these reasons animals become an important part of product testing. CBC News (2003) said that acording to cosmetic industry in order to determine chemicals which cause cancer or allergy, animal testing is best way. And they also said that animal testing has been key in developing, for example better toothpaste, safer sunscreen. Furthermore again in this news it is given that 38,000 animals die every year in the EU because of cosmetic testing (n.
pag.).
*Other idea of proponents of animal experiments is that similarities between genes and organs of animals and human beings make animals good model for researches. Americans for Medical Progress (2006) said that research animals have a complex living systems which enable to interact or react to stimuli, so scientists prefer this animals in order to observe how human beings may react to same stimuli (n. pag.). In addition to this Dixon, T. (2000) also support existing similarities between humans beings and animals. He said that genes between humans and chimpanzees are same about 99%. This makes easy to guess reaction of human patients observing these animals. Moreover he said that other animal species also have same basic physiology with human (n. pag.).
*Furthermore people who believe that animal experiments are indispensable suggest another argument. According to these people experiments are done regarding animals’ needs. According to Dixon, T. (2000), experiments can be done on animals without being cruel to animals. Experimenters aim the highest level of animal welfare. This level contain using anesthesia whenever possible, keeping animal clean, confortable and healty condition (n. pag.). Also Koop, E. (2001) claim that researchers are aware of their responsibilities to safeguard the walfare of laboratory animals. There are some obligations that have to be obeyed. Such as using as few animals as possible, using them only when absolutely necessary, being sure the design experiments that yield scientifically valid result, taking good care of the animals and using the most humane methods and treatments possible (n. pag.). In the light of the above mentioned ideas, it can not be ignored that animal experiments were very useful in the past. Many treatments were found and a lot of operation techniques were developed thanks to animal experiments. Moreover animal testing provide confidence to consumers, more sale for producer. In addition to this advocates of animal experiments mention about similarities between human beings and animals especially chimpanzees and claim that these animals are not mistreated because of good care and welfare. *Although many people support animal experiments, in terms of animal rights, having other applicable methods, doing unnecessary and useless experiments on animal and using very barbaric methods during the process of animal experimentation, experiments and tests on animals should be banned.
Those who support animal experiments think that only human beings have a right of life .
According to these people all animals and plants in the world are created for human beings. In addition to this in the 17th century people thought that animals are not living creature because of Descartes’s idea “I think, therefore I am”. All these ideas made killing animals without any explanations or using them however they want the most natural right of human beings. After that experiments on animals began to increase and became the most popular technique of research. *However animals have a nerve system and feel pain as human beings. They may have not a sense as well as human being but it is not mean that they do not effect from experiments or tests that applied on them. There exist rights for animals that protect them from exploiting. AFC (Animals Friend Croatia) gives article of The Universal Declaration of Animal Rights (n. d.) “Experiments on animals that can cause physical and mental pain, are incompitable with animal rights, even it is for medical, scentific, commercial or any other kind of experiment. A substitude technique must be investigated and developed” (n. pag.). I think applying experiments are unacceptable in terms of animals
rights. Second claim of proponents of animal experiments is using animals in research was very useful in the past in order to find new treatments and vaccines for dangerous diseases. There was no other effective methods and millions of people was dying. Immediately something should have been done. Under that circumstance experiments on animals was acceptable. *Nevertheless existing other applicabe methods and today’s technnology make animal experiments are unnecessary. Some of these methods are epidemiology (group researches), patient researches, monitoring, autopsy, biopsy, computer techniques, mathematics models, data bases, physical and chemical tests, using robot, using mono-cell organisms. While scientists obtain same result without animals, still using these poor animals in research, killing and mutulating them, causig animals to fell very unbearable pain is nothing other than barbarism. When these methods and animal experments are compared, experiment on animal is very expensive in terms of feeding, housing and care of lab animals. And also alternetive methods can replace again and again. Other argument supported by proponents of using animal in experiments is that necessity of product testing. According to this people all cosmetic products must be tested on animal before they release. It is controversial issue that whether killing thousands of animals for human’s beauty is ethical or not. *Before all of this, results of these tests on human beings is different generally. Animals not only react differently then human beings to different drugs, chemical or experiments, they also react from one another. And also some of the methods used for testing are very cruel. For example, for testing of shampoos rabbits' eyelids are forcibly kept open and shampoo is applied to their eyes. This can go on a stretch from 7 to 15 days. Sometimes the rabbits unable to take the pain, try to escape, breaking their backs or necks. Anyone holds shampoos in his eyes during 7 days. Thus, this experiment are completely useless. I think that these cosmetic tests are useful for only producers because when any harm of product appear on human they can defend themselves saying “we had already done animal experiments for this product”. Another idea suggested to show necessity of animal experiments is existing similarities between human beings and animals. *Although these similarities was very useful to understand human being’s physiology, organs mechanisms and blood flow, today animal experiments do not help in currently medical problems. Since these problems require comprehensive researches, scientists need a creature whose physiology is same human being’s and this creature can not be animal. Ignoring this difference has been and continues to be very costly to human health. According to Coalation to Abolish Animal Testing (n. d.) the most famous example of the dangers of animal testing is the Thalidomide tragedy. The drug which had been tested on thousands of animals was marketed as a wonderful sedative for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and it supposedly caused no harm to either mother or child. Despite this “safety testing”, thousands of children whose mothers had taken this drug were born with severe deformation (n. pag.). While gender, age, frequencyof feeding of animals change results of experiments, it is nonsense that expecting same results of experiments between animals and human beings.
Final claim of people saying animal experiments shoul be done is that lab animals have taken attentive care. *However there are many examples that shows bad treatments on these poor animal. Tani, H. (2004) mention their experience like this “Especially vicious Abe Laboratory was keeping 37 mice inside a cage designed for five. As a result, their tails were cut off, heads flew away, and some preyed on each other due to lack of food. In 1997, they were also enforcing administration of malaria parasites although it was prohibited by internal regulations” (n. pag.). In addition to this some lab animals are annihilationed by being burned after experiment. Although researchers obey the experiment rules -it is obviously seen that they do not obey these rules-, using animals however they want and limiting their freedom is unethical and against animal rights. Experiments that are very dangerous for applying on human beings are done on animals. This situation is best example of species discrimnation.
Consequently, using animals in experments is the best poof of man’s selfishness. Man thinks that he is the only ruler of nature and other living creatures are created for him. Not giving importance to other creature and considering animals as an insensitive creature was the biggest paralogism of human. Today, human beings are aware of these values but unfortunately they are defeated against their selfishness and lose their humanity. These situations make animal experiments illegal. However, any ideas prove that using animals in experiments is a right of human beings because there exist other applicable and effective methods for human health. And also many of these experiments are not useful in terms of results. Thus, animal experiments are not indispensable. If people recognize their mistake, gain their humanity and quit their selfishness, they will want to abandon their shame which is animal experiments as I want.