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 Animal Testing
 Against Animal Testing

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Animal Testing
Animal Testing

As history shows man has endured and overcome many diseases and illnesses. These
diseases killed many people and caused many to suffer. Most of these diseases have
been cured do to mans medical research. Medical research has improved people’s lives
along with increased life expectancy greatly. These medical breakthroughs have helped
mankind in many ways, but in order to achieve these advances in medicine many
animals suffered through testing. These test done to animals have improved the lives of
many humans who would have suffered themselves. The testing of laboratory animals
is an acceptable form of medical research. Today laboratory animal testing has come a
long way and no longer are animals treated cruelly in testing, the welfare of the animals
is a major concern.

There are many concerns for animals’ safety in laboratory testing. The Research
Defense Society says that the welfare of animals used in medical research is a major
priority of the scientists, vets, and other professionals who perform these tests. This is
for the good of the animals and not to mistreat them but also for accurate test results. “If
an animal is suffering stress or pain it could affect the results of the research” (Animal
Welfare) Animals are housed in the best possibly conditions in order to get reliable
results from testing. The zoo community has demonstrated the feasibility and the
benefits of maintaining animals in natural habitats. (Bayne) Along with healthy
environments the animals used for testing are tested under the three R’s. The three R’s
stand for Refinement, Reduction, and Replacement. These three principles are used to
regulate the testing of laboratory animals by reducing the number of animals used,
refine the testing methods used, and replace tests that require living animals with non-
animal techniques. (Three R’s) Today any test on a living animal that could cause it pain
would require an anaesthic or painkiller to be given to the animal. This is insures that
the animals are not suffering when these tests are done. Another thing to consider when
deciding about animal testing is the type of animals used in laboratory tests.

When most people think of animal testing they have a preconceived idea of monkeys
being the sole type of animals tested on. Whether this comes from movies or
somewhere else it is wrong. Monkeys make up less than .1 percent of all animals used
for testing. The largest group of animals used for testing is rats, mice, and other
rodents. These rodents are specifically bred for laboratory testing, and are easily tested
for human diseases. Mice are tested for medical developments in genetics,
immunology, and Aging in humans. (Animal Research) Rodents make up 82 percent of
all laboratory animals used for testing. The next largest group of animals used for
laboratory research is fish, amphibians, reptiles, and birds. These animals make up 14
percent of all animals used for testing. The fertilized eggs from birds are also used in
laboratory animal tests. The other 4 percent of animals used in medical research vary
from cows to rabbits. The majority of all animals used in laboratory research are
specifically bred rodents that help better the lives of many through testing.

Using laboratory animal testing for medical research has greatly advanced mans
knowledge of medicine. This research has lead to many cures that have saved many
lives. Antibiotics and vaccines have also been developed in order to prevent and treat
infections. Another discovery that is currently used in laboratory animal research today
is anesthetics. Anesthetics are used in painless surgeries and prevent animals from
feeling pain from tests. Some of the great medical advances in the last century do to
animal testing include: Insulin for diabetics, the polio vaccine, and heart transplants.
These medical advances have greatly improved people’s lives and show that testing of
laboratory animals is a reliable source of medical knowledge. New drugs are currently
being tested and researched through animal testing, which could cure cancer or the
next major illness that mankind will face. Laboratory testing of live animals is one of the
best ways to research medicine but is only one of three forms of research. The other
two forms of research are In Vitro techniques, and the study of human beings and
population. The FDA continues to work with private organizations to develop new
alternatives to animal testing. (Animal Testing) Both of these forms are considered non-
animal techniques, but are limited to the research that can be done. In Vitro deals with
single cells and their reactions. The study of humans and their population deals with
patterns in population and disease spreading. The only problem with these two forms of
research according to the Research Defense Society is that the body is very complex
and the only way to find out if there are any unforeseen effects is to test it on a living
being. (Animal Welfare)

The testing of laboratory animals for medical research has played a big part in the
advancement of mankind. Without animal testing the world would be a very different
place. In the past century many discoveries in medicine can be attributed to animal
testing. Many more are expected to be found in the future as the testing of animals
continues. The regulations set by the government ensure that animals will not be
mistreated and protect against inhumane practices of animal testing. The numerous
advances in medicine and the many lives animal testing has saved proves that
laboratory animal testing is a sound form of medical research. Through animal testing
and research, human beings are expected to live longer, healthier, and stronger lives.

Works Cited

“Animal Testing.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-205.html. 10/1/2001

“Animal Research Facts.” http://www.fbresearch.org/micef.html. 10/10/2001

Bayne, Kathryn, and Roy Henrickson. Naturalistic Environment In captivity For Animal
Behavior. Albany, New York. State University of New York Press, 1994

“The Three R’s of animal Testing Alternatives.”

http://www.med.virginia.edu/hs-lirary/newsletter/1995/april/threer.html. 10/10/2001

“Animal Welfare and Regulation.” Research Defense Society.

http://www.rds-online.org.uk/aboutrds/index.html. 9/25/2001
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Against Animal Testing
We all have a pet either is a dog named spot or a cat named fluffy would you wont
some one to test medicine or cosmetic on your pet so why let them on some one else.
Today I am going to tell you why animals testing is wrong, what the drug and cosmetic
companies do to these poor creatures. Drug testing on animals is unnecessary because
animal‘ s body never reacts to drug like humans. Drug and cosmetic companies are the
biggest animal tester. They have a lot of drug recalled because animal testing didn’ t
show that they where harmful. It is just a waste of money, time and effort to test on
animals because 60% of the time it just torments the animals and never benefits
anyone. Why do you need to know this because I think you need to know how useless
animal testing is.
Drug companies use animals to test their products to make sure their safe but it
doesn’ t always work and it is very inhumane to the animals they are testing on.
According to geocities.com article paw_n_tails that I accessed on November 10 to
measure severe burns on live tissue, a pet is burned alive with a flame-thrower until the
charred flesh can be removed in large pieces from while the animal is still alive. An
experiment to study head trauma requires a animals head to be strapped down and
receive high impact blows to the head resulting in severe brain damage. To
demonstrate there is no difference in eye protein levels of the site deprived, the animals
eyelids are sewn shut then later compared to normal protein levels. Drug testing on
animals has caused harm and death to humans, too. Many patients who were
administered the general anesthetic Methoxyflurane lost function of their kidneys
because animal experiments failed to reveal possible kidney toxicity. The arthritis
medication Flosint proved fatal to humans after passing tests on rats, monkeys, and
dogs.Opren, a cough medication tested successfully on monkeys and other animals,
killed 61 people and caused severe reactions in thousands of others. Antidepressant
Zelmid tested on rats and dogs with no problems, caused severe neurological problems
in humans. After being tested on numerous animals, Practolol caused blindness in 78
people and killed 23 others.There are numerous other examples.In both cases, once
human effects were known, scientists were still unable to reproduce these effects in
animals.
Another big industry that is big for animal testing is the cosmetic companies. According
to idausa.org article fact of cosmetics testing that I accessed on November 10 every
year, cosmetics companies kill millions of animals to test their products. These
companies claim they test on animals to establish the safety of their products and
ingredients for consumers. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not
require animal testing for cosmetics, and alternative testing methods are widely
available and lead to more reliable results. Hundreds of companies – including Avon,
The Body Shop and Mary Kay – already use humane non-animal testing methods to
ensure the safety of their cosmetics. Cosmetic companies perform more then half of all
animal tests. And not all of the animals killed in laboratories are researching drugs and
cures, millions of rabbits die after being tortured by cosmetic companies. Product testing
is commonly performed on animals to measure the levels of skin irritancy, eye tissue
damage, and toxicity caused by various substances used in the manufacture of
cosmetics. In the Draize test, caustic substances are placed in the eyes of conscious
rabbits to evaluate damage to sensitive eye tissues. This is extremely painful for the
rabbits, who often scream when the substances are applied and sometimes break their
necks or backs trying to escape the restraints. Lethal Dosage (LD) tests are used to
determine the amount of a substance that will kill a predetermined ratio of animals. For
example, in the LD50 test, subjects are forced to ingest poisonous substances (through
stomach tubes, vapor spray inhalers or injection) until half of them die. Common
reactions to LD tests include convulsions, vomiting, paralysis and bleeding from the
eyes, nose, mouth or rectum.
To day I have told you that we are made different so why test on animals to help us
when half the time it doesn’ t work, and that animal testing in drug companies cause an
injury to an animal just to see if a product will work on them, and how cosmetic
companies cause death to animal just so people can look more beautiful. Now you are
asking your self what can I do to help these poor puppies and kittens that are treated so
cruelty well you could use product that are not tested on animals.
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