Should Animal Testing Be Used Only For Medical Research

Animal testing has contributed to making many vaccines, and saving thousands of lives. Experiments in which dogs had their pancreases removed led directly to the discovery of insulin, critical to saving the lives of diabetics. The polio vaccine, tested on animals, reduced the global occurrence of the disease from 350,000 cases in 1988 to 223 cases in 2012. (ProCon.org, 2013) Also Animal testing has contributed to major advances for treating conditions such as breast cancer, brain injury, childhood leukemia, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and many other diseases. Also there are no known alternatives for testing on animals because animals are 99% genetically the same as humans. (OpposingViewpoints.com, 2013) Another example of how Animal Testing has helped humans tremendously is that animals had helped create the inhaler, which kills around 2,000 people each year in the UK. (understandinganimalresearch.org.uk, 2013) Lastly, one other reason that Animal Testing is needed, sharks rarely get cancer, cockroaches can regenerate damaged nerves, and some amphibians can regrow lost limbs. By studying these animals people may learn how their body does all of this and apply it to human medicine. (amprogress.org, 2013) Animal Testing has saved many lives, and if it is not banned it will continue to save

Not only does animal testing save human lives; additionally, what people do not realize is that it is also used to find medications and treatments specifically for animals. Animals also have diseases that are different from human diseases that need to be treated. According to NAP of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, “In many cases, treatments have been developed specifically for animals. The ability to eliminate parasitism, treat illnesses, use anesthetic devices, and promote breeding has improved the

From when you are a baby to when you are an adult animal testing is used in your everyday products. From the Pampers you put on as a baby and the Johnson and Johnson you are washed with. To when you are older the Febreeze, Sunsilk, and Gillette you use.( Companies That do Test on Animals) Animal testing surrounds you in every act of life. “The guess is around 100 million animals are used worldwide in animal testing.” (Animal Rights) Animal testing is rooted from natural curiosity. How the insides of a living organism operate and look is an interesting idea. Because of the fact that dissection of humans was illegal by the Roman Church, animals were the second best option for knowledge of living organisms. (Animal Testing) The debate

Animal testing is a common practice in current life that is necessary to ensure the safety of the humans that will be using the tested product. There are many good and bad aspects of animal testing, but the pros clearly outweigh the cons. Animal testing has been around since ancient times when animals were dissected to gain knowledge about the body and organs. The animals killed from animal testing make up a tiny percentage of the total animals killed every year. When just considering the animals used for food compared to the animals used for testing, testing animals make up a mere 2.6 percent of that number. Public safety far outweighs the lives of the small amount of animals killed.

To begin with, why is it done? Animal testing is done to protect humans from bad products that may hurt them, also to find ways to cure diseases that haven’t been cure yet. 95 percent of mice and rats are used for research. Mice represented the largest increase in research with their numbers going from 1.2 million to nearly 1.9 million in that period. Other animals also saw increases (Qtd animal experiment up to 73 percent, study says). Other animals that are used in research are rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, farm animals, fish, and insects, and also less than one percent cats, and dog’s area also used for research. Another reason is to treat injuries and learn more about the animal bodies to find the similarity to the human body (qtd. animal research). Animal testing is inhumane when testing to protect humans. Some people say testing on animals are life changing experiments and with the help of animal experiment can discover blood transfusion, kidney dialysis, and gene therapy for example cystic fibrosis and types of cancer( Coster 7). Others think experimenting on animal is cruel and they suffer a lot. It is true

Animal testing is a substantial controversy across the nation. According to Rush, Catherine M. et al. “Animal Models to Investigate the Pathogenesis of Rheumatic Heart Disease.” Frontiers in Pediatrics 2 (2014): 116. PMC. Web. 27 Oct. 2016., animal testing has been around for quite some time. Her article states that “Animals have been used repeatedly throughout the history of biomedical research. Early Greek physician-scientists, such as Aristotle, (384 – 322 BC) and Erasistratus, (304 – 258 BC), performed experiments on living animals. Likewise, Galen (129 – 199 / 217 AD), a Greek physician who practiced in Rome and was a giant in the history of medicine, conducted animal experiments to advance the understanding of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology. Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar), an Arab physician in twelfth century Moorish Spain, introduced animal testing as an experimental method for testing surgical procedures before applying them to human patients.”

Animal testing has many advantages that have made a better society for people. Animal testing can be defined as, “the use of non-human animals in research and development projects, esp. for purposes of determining the safety of substances such as foods or drugs” (“Dictionary 1”). Animal testing is literally how it sounds to others. Animals are being tested on in order to try different products made by scientists in order to better the society.

The use of research on animals originated from the Greeks in the 3rd century. Animal testing has evolved over time, for this reason, the modern era of animal testing began about 150 years ago. Experimentations on animals have been a common ethical dilemma in society for the past centuries. I believe that animal testing can benefit mankind, because many animals have the same body organs and functions as humans; therefore they are useful for conducting research for developing drugs, medical procedures, and treatments.

Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, is the use of animals in research and development projects, usually for the purposes of determining the safety of substances such as food, cosmetics, and drugs. Research animals undergo procedures that can cause physical and psychological distress. Mostly, the animals are euthanized, or killed, after the experiments. However, many organizations such as PETA and the Animal Justice Project have brought up, and are fighting against the dangerous outcomes of animals as they undergo testing. As a result, the topic of animal testing has become a divided and controversial topic among individuals, questioning whether it is ethical and unnecessary or humane and necessary to the science development.

Many sources have claimed that animal testing has contributed to nearly all medical cures in the last 100 years. For example, in an experiment where dogs had their pancreas taken out, scientists discovered insulin. Animal testing has allowed some advancements in cancer research among other things.

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).

Animal testing dates back all the way to Greek physician scientists like Aristotle and Erasistratus. Greek scientist conducted experiments to understand the anatomy, physiology, pathology, and pharmacology just like our scientists do today. The moral ethics of animal testing has always been questioned, but many cures and treatments have been found due to animal testing discoveries. Animal testing is necessary for humankind 's overall well being, as well as today 's society 's advancement to further the knowledge of the medical field.

To this day and age, millions of animals are being tested for human products, causing them to fall deeply ill with some sort of disease and some ends up dying. Animal testing goes way back since the 2nd century BCE. The earliest founding of animal testing are written from the Greeks. There were Greek physician-scientist named Aristotle and Erasistratus who were among the first human to experiment on living things. Basically Aristotle was the first philosopher to connect relationship between various animals and humanity. Erasistratus worked in medicine and pharmacy with the help of Aelius Galenus who dissects pigs and goats and who is also known as the “father of vivisection”. Animal testing helped us discover many disease and even helped

According to The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique, published by William Russell and Rex Burch in 1959, there are 3 important principles when it comes to animal testing and research. These principles: reduction, refinement, and replacement are typically known as the “3 R’s.” Reduction is meant to minimize the number of animal used in experimental procedures, refinement aims to limit the animal’s exposure to pain, and replacement is designed to use non-animal options whenever possible. While the problem with animal testing is constantly brought to people’s attention, the number of animals used for research is still increasing to this day. It is questionable whether these principles sufficiently reflect the development in our knowledge about animals and their emotional capabilities, the interest of these animals, or the harm that corresponds. It also raises serious questions about the success rate of the predicted outcomes of animal testing.

Thanks to animal research, many diseases that once killed millions of people are now either treatable or curable. Animal testing has not only benefit humans, but animals as well. Some animal testing has lead to life saving and life extending treatments for many of the animals used for testing. A complete alternative to animal testing has yet to be discovered.