"vivisection." The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia University Press.,
2003. Answers.com 24 Jan. 2007. <http://www.answers.com/topic/vivisection>.
vivisection: dissection of animals for experimental purposes.
-- has expanded in recent years to include all experimentation on animals.
The practice contributed to the outstanding progress that was made in the 17th cent. by William Harvey in understanding the circulation of blood.
Animal exprimentation didn't 'become widespread in Europe' until the 19th century.
Regulations against animal testing have been affective since 1985.
Private organizations in the US that deal with vivisection include:
-American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
-National Anti-Vivisection Society(NAVS)
-People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
"Animals most frequently used in the laboratory include rats, mice, ginea pigs, rabbits, and monkeys."
"When animals more closely resembling humans in size and structure are needed, dogs and chimpanzies may be utilized."
I don't understand why they don't always need animals that are 'more closely resembling humans' if they are experimenting for the safety of humans.
"Animal experimentation is especially advantageous if offspring of several generations are to be observed: for instance, about 5 generations of mice can be observed in a year, whereas in humans the same experiment would require over 100 years."
I guess that makes sense.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Artifact 7.
"Scientific Study of Primate Research - Call For Evidence." Scientific Study of Primate Research - Call For Evidence. January 23, 2007. <http://www.rds-online.org.uk/pages/news.asp?i_ToolbarID=6&i_PageID=1784>.
Scientific study on scientific study.
Dr Simon Festing, Director of RDS, said "The benefits from research using monkeys have been enormous, including the polio vaccine, infertility treatments and brain implants for Parkinson’s disease. But it is important to continually re-examine the need for this work. If this study can find novel technologies to reduce monkey use or minimise suffering then all researchers would welcome that."
Other than computer modelling, as an alternative, genetically modified mice are used, too.
Monkeys in research: facts
*Monkeys account for less than 1 in every 500 animal procedures in the UK.
*Great apes such as chimpanzees, orang utans and gorillas have not been used in UK research for at least 20 years.
*The monkeys used in UK reserach are mostly macaques and marmosets.
*About 3,000 monkeys are used in about 4,000 procedures every year in the UK.
*Some re-use is allowed if the monkeys have been used in mild procedures with no lasting ill-effects.
*Most monkeys are used in safety testing.
Scientific study on scientific study.
Other than computer modelling, as an alternative, genetically modified mice are used, too.
Monkeys in research: facts
*Monkeys account for less than 1 in every 500 animal procedures in the UK.
*Great apes such as chimpanzees, orang utans and gorillas have not been used in UK research for at least 20 years.
*The monkeys used in UK reserach are mostly macaques and marmosets.
*About 3,000 monkeys are used in about 4,000 procedures every year in the UK.
*Some re-use is allowed if the monkeys have been used in mild procedures with no lasting ill-effects.
*Most monkeys are used in safety testing.
Artifact 6.
"Quick Facts About Animal Research." FBR - Education about Animal Research. January 23, 2007. <http://www.fbresearch.org/education/quickfacts.htm>.
"The Office of Technology Assessment estimaes that 17-23 million animals are used in the United States for research each year."
17-23 million animals per year. that's a lot. that's a sickenly high amount. and this is only in the United States. Yes, the United States probably makes up a big part of the total amount of animal research in the world, but still.
The article says that about 95% of these animals are rats and mice. I don't exactly love mice, but that doesn't makem e want to kill them the way they are in animal testing.
"In 2000, there were 69,516 dogs and 25,560 cats used in reearch."
I'm guessing this affects people more than hearing that millions of rats are used in animal research. I admit that I am one of those people.
"By comparison, wildlife biologists estimate that over one million animals are killed every day by automobiles - over 365 million per year."
I'm hoping they included insects in that estimation although i have no idea how they'd estimate that.
source: USDA Annual Report 2000
I guess they're working on it. [:
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Artifact 5
"Research conducted on Primates." Ipag - biomed for the layperson. 2004. January 14, 2007. <http://www.lpag.org/layperson/layperson.html#research>.
Research on primates is used for many different things including "pathologies and diseases (such as AIDS and hepatitis), psychological disorders, toxicology, xenotransplantation (primates and pigs are the species primarily used as cross-species transplant donors) product safety testing, dentistry, biological warfare, drug use, vaccines, Parkinson's disease, cloning, and many more."
I don't really get what that has to do with 9/11? I mean I guess a lot of people had to have these treatments or something, but there's a lot of other things that could cause this, and I don't really understand what 9/11 has to do with it.
Research on primates is used for many different things including "pathologies and diseases (such as AIDS and hepatitis), psychological disorders, toxicology, xenotransplantation (primates and pigs are the species primarily used as cross-species transplant donors) product safety testing, dentistry, biological warfare, drug use, vaccines, Parkinson's disease, cloning, and many more."
Yeah, try reading that without feeling sick at all. If you can, I don't know if I want you to read this because that's disgusting. I don't understand how anybody can do this to living things at all; just watching them die."Animals are burned, isolated, food deprived, water deprived, poisoned, and irradiated. During AIDS research, monkeys are infected with various SIV and HIV strains and combinations - then disease progression is observed without intervention until the monkeys finally die, having presented symptoms such as diarrhea, dehydration, wasting, and anorexia."
"Since the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, funding for research to create vaccines and treatments for bioterror agents (such as anthrax, smallpox, botulism, and nerve gas) has increased dramatically. For many researchers, the test subject of choice is the monkey."
I don't really get what that has to do with 9/11? I mean I guess a lot of people had to have these treatments or something, but there's a lot of other things that could cause this, and I don't really understand what 9/11 has to do with it.
Artifact 4
"History of nonhuman animal research." Ipag - biomed for the layperson. 2004. January 14, 2007. <http://www.lpag.org/layperson/layperson.html#history>.
I never really wondered when animal testing started, and I was surprised to find out that it started "in the writings of Greek-philosopher-physicians of the third and fourth centuries BC."
1. how many animals, not just rats and mice, are used anually for animal testing all over the world?
2. how about just in the United States?
I never really wondered when animal testing started, and I was surprised to find out that it started "in the writings of Greek-philosopher-physicians of the third and fourth centuries BC."
"Aristotle (384-322 BC) was the "first to have made dissections which revealed
internal differences among animals" and Erasistratus (304-258 BC) was most
likely the first to perform experiments on living animals. Then, during second century Rome, a physician named Galen began to dissect animals because Church protocol did not allow human autopsies."
It is estimated that the number of rats and mice used since the use of nonhuman animals has increased about 20 percent per year, and that's a lot."It is estimated that the number of rats and mice used in research has been
increasing by approximately 20% per year since the use of transgenic models
(nonhuman animals whose genes contain genetic material from other species) began
and this trend is expected to continue."
1. how many animals, not just rats and mice, are used anually for animal testing all over the world?
2. how about just in the United States?
Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Artifact 3
Biever, Celeste. "Can computer models replace animal testing?(animal experiments)." New Scientist 190.2551 (May 13, 2006): 7(1). Student Resource Center - Gold. Thomson Gale. Centennial High School (MD). 11 Jan. 2007 <http://find.galegroup.com/ips/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&amp;amp;amp;type=retrieve&tabID=T002&prodId=IPS&docId=A145981587&source=gale&srcprod=SRCG&userGroupName=elli29753&version=1.0
Apparently, people are trying to find ways to experiment without doing it on animals. According to this article, they are making realistic software models of human and animal organs to test on.
"The first realistic software models of human and animal organs are starting to emerge- potentially replacing some of the 50 to 100 million animals used each year for scientific research."
The first model of how the heart works was built in 1999, but they are much better now.
"The models couple mechanical contractions to electrical waves in three dimensions, for instance, to show thousands of molecular interactions and connect the heart to virtual circulatory system."
The purpose of these models is "to observe and manipulate physiological processes to an extent that might not be possible or financially viable in a living animal or in animal parts".
While this could decrease animal experimentation, the article does state that animal experimentation will always be necessary to "discover new biochemical processes and validate software models."
A reduction in animal testing is an inevitable outcome of their work, say many.
Apparently, people are trying to find ways to experiment without doing it on animals. According to this article, they are making realistic software models of human and animal organs to test on.
"The first realistic software models of human and animal organs are starting to emerge- potentially replacing some of the 50 to 100 million animals used each year for scientific research."
The first model of how the heart works was built in 1999, but they are much better now.
"The models couple mechanical contractions to electrical waves in three dimensions, for instance, to show thousands of molecular interactions and connect the heart to virtual circulatory system."
The purpose of these models is "to observe and manipulate physiological processes to an extent that might not be possible or financially viable in a living animal or in animal parts".
While this could decrease animal experimentation, the article does state that animal experimentation will always be necessary to "discover new biochemical processes and validate software models."
A reduction in animal testing is an inevitable outcome of their work, say many.
"I am absolutely certain that in the long term this is going to dramatically
reduce the need for animal experiments," says Rod Smallwood of the University of
Sheffield, UK, who models epithelial tissues, such as those in the bladder and
skin. At Insilicomed in La Jolla, California, there is evidence that software is
doing just that.
1. How much will this decrease animal testing?
2. Will this cost a lot more to do?
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