The use of live animals is believed to have begun during ancient times, mostly in order to fulfill the curiosity of the human body. It has been within the last century and a half that more advancements have been made in medical research than in any prior era. Diseases such as polio, tuberculosis, malaria, and smallpox can now be either prevented or treated due to pharmaceutical research that involved the use of animals. The use of animals in scientific research is important because the use of animals has allowed there to be many advancements in the medical field, such as discovering vaccines for deadly diseases, and has allowed for the regulation of chemicals that may be harmful for human and animal consumption. Carl Cohen, a professor …show more content…
It took years before the polio vaccine was deemed safe and reliable. By the late 1950’s, the vaccination of children against polio was routine and by the end of the 1950’s, the number of polio cases that were reported in the United States had gone to just twelve. Cohen reports that animal tissue was vital in finding a vaccine for polio. Extreme caution was necessary for the new vaccine. There had already been several vaccines tried to treat the disease, but they had all failed. Some children actually became ill with polio after they were given the vaccine and that was something that needed to be prevented with the new vaccine. Animal subjects were required for the testing of the new vaccine before it was given to humans. Albert Sabin, one of the researchers, stated that, “‘there could have been no oral polio vaccine without the use of innumerable animals, a very large number of animals’.” In Oslo, Norway, at the University of Christiana, scientist Axel Holst was studying a disease known as scurvy. Holst chose guinea pigs in order to study the disease because they are one of the only species, other than humans, who are unable to produce their own Vitamin C, which means that guinea pigs are capable of having scurvy. Before guinea pigs, Holst had used fowl in order to study scurvy and he found that their diet had an influence on rather or not they developed scurvy. His study with guinea pigs only reinforced this
Paralytic poliomyelitis, "polio", held a reign of terror over this nation for decades. But unless you were born before 1955, polio may seem to be just another ephemeral disease that has been nonexistent for years. Those born before 1955 remember having a great fear of this horrible disease which crippled thousands of once active, healthy children. This disease had no cure and no identified causes, which made it all the more terrifying. People did everything that they had done in the past to prevent the spread of disease, such as quarantining areas, but these tactics never seemed to work. Polio could not be contained. Many people did not have the money to care for a family member with polio. This was one of the
This theory cannot be confirmed nor refuted due to the fact that SIV screenings for the polio vaccine were not available until 1985 more than 25 years after the beginning of the mass
To be specific, because of the fact that polio was feared by the majority of Americans, it resulted in a widespread feeling of paranoia. According to David M. Ohinsky, someone who lived through the epidemic before the vaccine, it surprisingly got to the point where people “stopped handling paper money and refused to shake hands” (1). America as a whole feared the disease because both the cause and the cure for polio was undiscovered. Significantly, Americans “looking for anything that could beat back the horror of polio offered up more than 1.8 million children to serve as test subjects” (Wilson 1). The desperation of The United States for the vaccine, was viewed negatively to American history as shown through the immense number of children forced to serve as test subjects by their parents. Even though the parents were harsh on their children by sacrificing them, it ultimately resulted in a positive outcome. This positive outcome was the successful introduction to the poliomyelitis vaccine, which left America overjoyed. The United States sacrificed many children in order to save millions more in the future. In an interview, David M. Ohinsky, an author and history professor, remembers the exact day of the polio vaccine introduction on April 25, 1955 and claimed that “the announcement came from Ann Arbor, Mich. Church bells tolled, factory whistles blew. People ran into the streets weeping” (1). The euphoria brought about a unification within the community. Moreover, it immensely filled American families with hope who were desperate for a cure. American parents no longer had to fear that their children would catch the fatal
On October 22nd, 2007 The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention posted a web article which admitted that polio vaccines contained a cancer-causing virus. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention also known as the CDC, deleted the post within the week it was posted. The National Center for Biotech Information Center confirms that Micro biologist Maurice Hilleman discovered Simian Virus 40 was contained in polio vaccines administrated from 1995. (Hilleman) The CDC stated that the virus was removed from the vaccine in 1961. Records show that contaminated vaccines were used until 1963 and were used in different parts of the world until the 1980’s. (Varmus) As a result of the 98 million people given a polio vaccine; 30 million received the contaminated dose. (Hilleman) On May 10th, 2002 a Pathologist by the name of Dr. Michelle Cabone tested the
When the Polio outbreak was thriving in 1953, Jonas Salk wasn’t just lying around. He was tiredly working on the improvement of the Polio vaccine (Fact Check). The previous vaccine was unreliable and unaffective. It led some patients to be infected with Polio and die
Countless medical advances have been made as a direct result of animal testing. Cures and preventions of diseases have been discovered and tested for safety by using animals. Vaccines have also been created for various reasons such as influenza, rabies, tetanus, infectious
This thought would be a myth. These diseases never really disappear, instead the number of cases drop extremely low and just aren't noticed by the majority of society anymore.5 In the United States, all 50 states have a mandatory vaccination law established within the schools to protect against diseases such as this.6 After the release of the first poliomyelitis vaccine in 1955, Jonas Salk was greatly thanked by many all around and this creation established a sense of relief from polio all over America and even the world.7 Warning of certain side effects were even given about this vaccine but that didn't stop anyone from getting it; after viewing how horrible polio was, society would do whatever possible to prevent it.8 The fact that those living during the 1900's, especially mid 1900's, witnessed everything that polio could do and even lost loved ones to it, established a greater desire for the vaccine. Even if some may have been against vaccines, it's the fear that they lived by which drove them to get it. There still were select people that were just so against vaccinations they never got it, but that meant that they were still at risk. As the years went on and cases of certain diseases such as polio decreased substantially, there was little fear among people since they were almost non-existent and some felt as if certain vaccinations were not
With the last outbreak of Polio in the US being in 1979, many today have no recollection of the terror of this disease. The disease primarily infected children, and there seemed to be no pattern to who succumbed to it. No one could feel safe. Polio as a disease presents such horrors that even those who overcome it once can be plagued by its aftereffects in later life. Before vaccines, single outbreaks could devastate entire communities. One outbreak
Polio had already killed 3,000 people at its peak rate in 1952; sadly, it had already paralyzed thousands of more people (Soylent 1)On April 12, 1955 the polio vaccine developed by Salk was allowed to be used by the public after it had been tested with 1.8 million children (Biography 1). The vaccine had drastically reduced the number of polio cases in children by 90%; 57,000 cases were recorded in 1952 and less than one thousand cases a decade later (Soylent 1). In addition, Jonas Salk later established his own institution for research named Salk Center for Biological Studies in 1963. The institution “remains one of the world's most prestigious facilities for research into AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's
Franklin D. Roosevelt suffered from polio while he served as the President of the United States. Polio is a virus that causes paralysis, and can even lead to death. Before the polio vaccination was introduced in 1955, the virus had claimed thousands of victims over the years. (“Polio”). Today, vaccinations are available to the public in order to keep viruses like polio from causing an epidemic. A vaccination is the injection of a weakened disease or virus, in order for your body to build up immunity against a certain illness (Davidson). Vaccinations have become a controversial subject because of the side effects, the ingredients used and the idea of protecting the herd.
In 1955, Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine, saving thousands of lives. Vaccines gained popularity throughout America, with millions hoping to stop the spread of deadly disease, and increase herd immunity. Recently, many Americans stopped vaccinating themselves and their children based upon articles they had read online that state that vaccines cause autism, epilepsy, and weakened immune systems. Despite scientific medical journal articles that suggest otherwise, parents continue to choose not to vaccinate their children based upon sources that are not considered credible in the scientific community. Thus, the vaccine debate comes down to a debate of credibility, distinguishing science from pseudoscience,
In 1977 Dr Jonas Salk (inventor of the Salk polio vaccine) testified with other scientists that 87% of the polio cases which occurred in the US since 1970 were the by-product of
Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, medical investigator and pediatrician stated; “there is no credible scientific evidence that the vaccine caused polio to disappear”. From 1923 to 1953, Before the vaccine had been introduced, death from polio in England had already decreased by 55 percent. After the vaccine had been introduced, many European countries questioned its effectiveness and did not vaccinate its people. Yet, the epidemic still died out in those countries. This natural decrease is believed to be due to better hygiene, living conditions and nourishment since the 1800s, as studies have shown that poor diet makes people more susceptible to get
The discovery of the polio vaccine was an important medical and scientific breakthrough because it saved many lives since the 1950s. In the summer of 1916 the great polio epidemic struck the United states. By the 1950s hundreds of thousands of people had been struck by the poliomyelitis. The highest number of cases occurred in 1953 with over 50,000 people infected with the virus.
The polio vaccine helped to prevent polio all around the world. It was invented in 1955. It eliminated polio in the U.S. and is trying to do the same in other parts of the world. There are 2 types of vaccine: The IPV and OPV vaccines. The IPV vaccine, created by Jonas Salk, and the OPV vaccine, created by Albert Sabin. Both of