More Information on Animal Testing

HISTORY

Animal testing, also known as "vivisection" dates back as early as the 17th century. This idea was projected by the philosopher Rene Descartes, on the basis that animals were not able to reason and therefore did not feel pain and suffering. The testing of cosmetics on animals begain in 1933, not too long after a woman used Lush Lure mascara to darken her eyelashes. Her eyes began to burn, then she became blind, and eventually died. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed the the Federal Fod, Drug and Cosmetic Act in 1938 in light of this incident, protecting the public from unsafe cosmetics.

MY OPINION

I think that animal testing is the best thing that scientists could have ever done. I believe that a humans life is valued over that of an animal by a significant amount. There is no need to put humans at risk by selling products that could potentially harm them or using humans for an experiment gone wrong. Animals are not a necessity in this world. Yes, they are loved by many and are great to have around, but they aren't crucial to a human's well-being. The animals used for experiments and testing are those that most resemble a human in nature. By using them to test different products, substances and chemicals, we are lowering the risk of harm to humans and are making medical and cultural advancement more and more possible each and every day.

WHY ANIMAL TESTING IS IMPORTANT

It would be unethical to test substances or drugs with potentially adverse effects on human beings. The North Carolina Associational for Biomedical Research (NCABR) relates this to being " ... the first to try a drug that had not been tested on any living system."

Controlled experiments involve having only one variable at a time, which is why animals are experimented on while confined inside a laboratory. The NCABR says "human beings aren't able to be confined this way because their environments and genetic backgrounds vary widely, making it difficult to control the variables."

There is no substitute for the living systems necessary to study interaction among cells, tissue, and organs. Animals are good surrogates because of their similarities to humans. They have very similar physical structure and functions of the organs and biological systems.

Animals have shorter life and reproductive spans, meaning that several generations can be studied in a relatively short time.

Animals can be bred especially for animal-testing purposes, meaning they arrive at the laboratory free from disease. Testing on humans would mean getting a complete medical history of the subject and also testing for hundreds of different diseases they may have and aren't aware of. This can be very time consuming and inefficient.

Humans in some parts of the world are healthier in large part due to advances in medical research derived from animal testing.

Animals receive more sophisticated medical care because of animal tests that have led to advances in veterinary medicine.

There have been several examples of substances causing death or injury to human beings because of inadequate animal testing.

Who's With Me for Animal Testing?
	WHAT IS IT? According to Wikipedia, "animal testing refers to the use of non-human animals in experiments." It is estimated that around 100 million animals are used in scientific procedures around the world annually. The U.S. Foundation for Biomedical Research says that "'[a]nimal research has played a vital role in virtually evey major medical advance of the last century - for both human and animal health." Animal experiments fall into 3 broad categories and overlapping categories: Pure research: is conducted without practical application for the "advancement of knowledge" such as psychological testing. Applied research: directed towards a specific application. Toxicology: known as safety testing. Involves the testing of specific ingredients or products on behalf of the manufacturer.
HISTORY Animal testing, also known as "vivisection" dates back as early as the 17th century. This idea was projected by the philosopher Rene Descartes, on the basis that animals were not able to reason and therefore did not feel pain and suffering. The testing of cosmetics on animals begain in 1933, not too long after a woman used Lush Lure mascara to darken her eyelashes. Her eyes began to burn, then she became blind, and eventually died. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) passed the the Federal Fod, Drug and Cosmetic Act in 1938 in light of this incident, protecting the public from unsafe cosmetics. MY OPINION I think that animal testing is the best thing that scientists could have ever done. I believe that a humans life is valued over that of an animal by a significant amount. There is no need to put humans at risk by selling products that could potentially harm them or using humans for an experiment gone wrong. Animals are not a necessity in this world. Yes, they are loved by many and are great to have around, but they aren't crucial to a human's well-being. The animals used for experiments and testing are those that most resemble a human in nature. By using them to test different products, substances and chemicals, we are lowering the risk of harm to humans and are making medical and cultural advancement more and more possible each and every day. WHY ANIMAL TESTING IS IMPORTANT It would be unethical to test substances or drugs with potentially adverse effects on human beings. The North Carolina Associational for Biomedical Research (NCABR) relates this to being " ... the first to try a drug that had not been tested on any living system." Controlled experiments involve having only one variable at a time, which is why animals are experimented on while confined inside a laboratory. The NCABR says "human beings aren't able to be confined this way because their environments and genetic backgrounds vary widely, making it difficult to control the variables." There is no substitute for the living systems necessary to study interaction among cells, tissue, and organs. Animals are good surrogates because of their similarities to humans. They have very similar physical structure and functions of the organs and biological systems. Animals have shorter life and reproductive spans, meaning that several generations can be studied in a relatively short time. Animals can be bred especially for animal-testing purposes, meaning they arrive at the laboratory free from disease. Testing on humans would mean getting a complete medical history of the subject and also testing for hundreds of different diseases they may have and aren't aware of. This can be very time consuming and inefficient. Humans in some parts of the world are healthier in large part due to advances in medical research derived from animal testing. Animals receive more sophisticated medical care because of animal tests that have led to advances in veterinary medicine. There have been several examples of substances causing death or injury to human beings because of inadequate animal testing.