Animal Experimentation Successes And Clinical Research Failures

In our ever-changing world the race to find the best technological advancements has never been higher. Progress within the medical field has changed drastically in the last 50 years. “Health is driven by the technologies that cure the unhealthy. These technologies need to advance along with an advancing society. In the last five decades new and improved, less expensive, medicine has been produced” (Leonard). Behind all this advanced medicine are the technologies, or creatures, that are used to test and improve the medicine. Animals are used to test the drugs and medicine that are in route to be produced for human use. “The term "Animal Testing" refers to procedures performed on living animals for purposes of research into basic biology and diseases, assessing the effectiveness of new medicinal products” (Humane Society). There are people who side with, and agree that animal testing improves the lives of humans, and there are individuals who believe the harm this research brings to animals is unreasonable and can be prevented.

As of 2015, 200 to 225 million animals are said to used in laboratory research for the biomedical industry annually worldwide. Typically defended by arguments of reliability and human health benefits, recently the question of ethics and values placed on animal testing have caused it to become a relevant and pressing topic that has been more widely discussed and debated. First off, the laboratory conditions that are instigated upon millions of animal models for the sake of medical research has been said to be unethical and cruel. Additionally, it has been debated that the results of animal experimentation are unreliable across a wide range of areas. Lastly, animal testing not only leads away from the direction of resources from more effective testing methods but also prolongs the duration of time humans may need to wait for an effective cure. Therefore, the potential benefits of animal experimentation are greatly outweighed by the risks and collective harm of humans and animals which is why resources should be directed towards more human-based testing procedures.

There is no argument that animals have played a critical role in medical research and paved the way for antidotes, cures and remedies for humans throughout history. Aristotle, who lived back in the fourth century B.C., is one of the first to be recorded as experimenting on a living animal. Back in the 1920s there was experimental testing on dogs which gave conclusive evidence to the functions the pancreas has on producing insulin. Before this, diabetes was untreatable, unmanageable and would easily result in death in humans (The Discovery of Insulin). Although testing on animals has been beneficial to us in many instances, there are several examples that prove testing on animals has hurt rather than helped the process. Many scientists argue that the physiological makeup of an animal differs strongly from that of a human resulting in different outcomes of drugs and other experiments. There has been a strong connection between smoking and lung cancer dating back to the 1960s, however all experiments done with animals failed to show

Worldwide, there has always been a plethora of issues concerning whether animals should or should not be used for biomedical research. There are some advocating for the best and most-advanced medicine for the people; with disregard for the animal’s health. They believe people’s needs should be the first concern. However, others put the animal’s health first. If the animal is not in safe conditions, then it does not matter what medicine advances might be discovered. Biomedical research is defined as “The application of the natural sciences, especially the biological and physiological sciences, to clinical medicine” (“Biomedicine.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/biomedical.). Without biomedical research on animals, modern medicine would not exist. Animal testing has enabled the findings of treatments for cancer, antibiotics for infections, and preventatives for illnesses. For these reasons, animal testing should be used in the process of developing biomedical research.

Animal testing has contributed to many life-saving cures, treatments, and major advances in understanding and treating conditions such as breast cancer, childhood leukemia, brain injuries, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and many others, and was instrumental in the development of pacemakers, cardiac valve substitutes, and anesthetics. Using animals as research subjects is appropriate because they are similar to human beings in many ways.

Throughout the years the use of animals in medical research has been a hot debate around the world. Although animal testing may be cruel and inhumane, thousands of humans are saved thanks to the research that animals supply researchers with. Animals testing have taken over our knowledge of medicine and treatments to a whole different level. Animal testing also does this in a cheap and effective way. Without animals testing out knowledge wouldn’t be up to date, in other words animals’ testing is good.

The harmful use of animals in experiments is not only cruel and inhumane but also often ineffective. Animals do not get many of the human diseases that people do, such as major types of heart disease, many types of cancer, HIV, Parkinson’s disease, or schizophrenia. There have been past occasions where drugs passed on animals weren’t even safe. There is no excuse for animal testing in today’s techy world, there are now many alternatives for animal testing that would put an end to the pain and suffering endured by these innocent animals during human testing.

The major pro fo animals testing is that it aids researchers in finding drugs and treatments to improve health and medicine . Many medical treatments have been made posiible by animal testing . research involving laboratory animals at UCLA leads to many medical breakthoughts that improve peoples lives and hold promise fo additional improvements in treatments and cures . Example : Breast cancer : the UCLA studies utilizing mice were the basis for human clinical trials in patients with breast cancer . The first cancer fighting drug successfully target a specific genetis alteration, thereby limiting side effects such as hairloss and nause that often accompany conventional therapies . Mouse models

Biomedical research is vital to the human race as it allows a wider range of results for scientists to work with. Experiments conducted with animal experimentation resulted in the development of treatments for many once thought incurable. Most of our basic medical knowledge was taught from late biomedical research experiments. Two associations such as AWA and APHIS are dedicated towards the humane use of animals in biomedical research. AWA or the Animal Welfare Act ensures the welfare of the animals and APHIS Plant Health Inspection Service is the enforcer for AWA’s provisions. The leading argument of the opposition is that animal testing is cruel and inhumane as it is not necessary research. However, the research isn’t required, it is vital towards a steady increase in our search for medical cures.

Every day, thousands of animals in laboratory cages undergo painful experiments. After three dogs were forced to ingest an experimental drug every day for five days, they experienced difficulties breathing and a high heart rate. One dog died and the other two were put to death one day later. Animal testing is beneficial for scientific growth but is very cruel and inefficient. Laboratories that have grown human organs and are testing them are getting better and more accurate results than a laboratory that runs tests on animals. ( humanesociety.org )

Most arguments in favor of the use of animal testing for scientific use lead to the benefits it has for humans. Animal research has contributed to virtually every major medical advancement - for both human and veterinary health. From antibiotics to blood transfusion, from dialysis to organ transplantation, from vaccinations to chemotherapy, surgery and joint replacement, virtually every current treatment, cure and restraint of disease is based on understanding attained through research with lab animals. For example, dogs and fish were used for the development of insulin, which is now able to help control diabetes. The House of Lords Select Committee, the Parliamentary Animal Procedures Committee and the independent Nuffield Council on Bioethics all agreed that testing on animals is a scientifically sound method, has developed great results and is important for future advances (Pro-Test). Animal testing is viewed as the best option for medical progress, since it has had much success in the past. Robert Koch, a Nobel prize winner, conducted experiments on animals and stated, “Think you’re in the running for a future Nobel prize in medicine? You may want to consider using animals in your studies… More than two-thirds of all nobel prizes in medicine have been awarded for discoveries that involved animal research” (Hayhurst 21).

Although some people argue that animal testing has played a vital role in medical industries however, it has been proven that the majority of animal experimentation has no significant impact or breakthrough that could be beneficial to humans. This makes us question the validity of these experiments, and if they truly have any benefits. This idea is supported by Dr. Bross , the director of biostatistics at the Roswell Institute for Cancer Research who states that the conflicting animal results that have been found have never produced a single advance either in preventing or in curing cancer (as cited in Carlson, 2012, p. 398). The effort done by the scientists and doctors who care about people's health and work hard to provide safety for them

Animal testing is essential for developing lifesaving treatments. Due to experiments on animals we have treatments for diabetics, tuberculosis, breast cancer, malaria and brain injuries. Immunizations against mumps, polio, and hepatitis has saved a countless number of lives thanks to the discovery of new drugs. Roughly ninety-five percent of all lab animals are special-bred mice and rats. The balance of animals that are tested on is rabbits, guinea pigs, sheep, pigs, and fruit flies. Rodents are considered the number one choice for modern medical researchers because they have a short life span. They choose animals that have a life span of two to three years because that allows the scientists to observe what happens during the “fast forward” stage. Six out of the eight major discoveries were recognized with Nobel Prizes, some of which involve the bone-marrow transplant, cloning of genes, and the detection of proto-oncogenes in normal DNA. The essential need for animal research and observation is supported by health agencies and medical associations around the world.

Stated by Mahatma Gandhi, “The greatness of the nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. Medical research on animals is an effective way for scientist to test different medical discoveries and experiment before using them on humans to check their result. This technique has been used for centuries dating back to people such and Aristotle and Erasistratus. What exactly is medical research on animals? When we take a deeper look into the experiment that are preformed we can conclude that animals are a living model of humans in these laboratories. It is a necessity to harm and test animals with new drugs in order to market them in the medical industry to aid human illnesses. In order to better comprehend and regulate drugs one must understand what medical research on animals is described as and its benefits to pharmaceutical companies for humans. Exposure to the trials and tribulations that animal testing reveals how important it is for scientists to understand the negative effects they contribute to an animal’s welfare and life. In contrary animal testing has been used to save many human lives from consuming or using a drug that could have caused them life threatening illnesses.

The scientists make sure the animals are not in very much pain, the scientists make sure they use proper safe tools when doing the tests on the animals. Scientists are very respectful of test animals. They make sure that the animals are treated well and do not suffer at any point in an experiment. The scientists do all they can for the animals when it comes to actually testing on them. If they think it will be uncomfortable for the animals they give them pain killers to relieve the stress and the pain if pain is even involved. The scientists don’t do the tests with intentions on hurting the animals they do it in hope to save lives of many people or make life easier on someone’s life.