Animal Testing

Paper Summary:

The paper holds the view that animal testing cannot provide firm evidence that a new product is safe and effective. The paper goes on to suggest that the testing methods used are immoral, and violate an animal's rights and that scientists should attempt to use alternative methods, and stop their cruel animal testing.

From the Paper:

"Laboratory animals and humans are different. Laboratories use primates such as monkeys and chimpanzees for modeling human diseases related to the brain and the nervous system because these animals are the most closely related to humans. However, human's and primate's brains are not same. "The primate brain is not a scaled-down version of human's brain. Chimpanzee's brains and human's are similar in structure, but that does not mean they perform the same functions."(Coghlan) Therefore, scientists cannot acquire human medical insights accurately from the studies of primates. "Scientists have learned a lot about human's physiology through comparisons in animals. But they argue that the quest for drugs that modify human behavior and brain function requires a subtlety not available through the study of primate brain."(Coghlan) In addition, other animals used for testing drugs, chemicals, and cosmetics are also not identical to humans and cannot form some of the same health problems even though these animals are biologically similar to humans. In spite of this fact, many laboratories still continue animal experiments on new products, producing unreliable results. Although the scientists prove the safety of the products on animals, the products may be harmful to humans."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Archibald, Kathy. "Animal testing: science or fiction?" Ecologist. 0261-3131. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. San Jose Lib., San Jose State U. 15 Nov.2005 <http://search.epnet.com>.
• Coghlan, Andy. "Animal experiments on trial." New Scientist. 0262-4079. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. San Jose Lib., San Jose State U. 15 Nov.2005 <http://search.epnet.com>.
• Curnutt, Jordan. Animals and the Law: A Sourcebook. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2001: 448-53
• Rollin, Bernard E. The Unheeded Cry: Animal Consciousness, Animal Pain, and Science. Iowa: Ames The Iowa State UP, 1998: 39-42
• Smallwood, Scott. "Speaking for the Animals, or the Terrorists?" Chronicle of Higher Education. 0009-5982. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. San Jose Lib., San Jose State U. 15 Nov.2005 <http://search.epnet.com>.

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