Experiments with animals
Introduction
We have fought for human rights. We think that we have to protect human, even though they are murderers, and rescue ourselves from pain. Therefore, lots of laws were made for protecting our rights. After people started to think about all of being’s rights, people have cared about other being’s pain. Recently, another right is founded which we need to consider. This is the right of animals. Therefore, people started to see the problem of the experiment with animals. It is usually considered as a big problem that people don’t care about the animal’s pain at all.
However, there is an agreement side about this topic. Many people already see the fact that we use the animals which can’t talk and can’t express what they feel for our good life. Therefore, people are easy to think that we have to stop this cruel and selfish experiment, but, even the fact is true, you should know the needs of the experiment with animals. There are many reasons that why we have to do that experiment.
- Legitimacy of the experiment with animals –
1. Making medical breakthroughs.
The meaning of the animal testing is that scientific process which has a purpose of study, education or medicine with animals. As you read, there is no an experiment without a purpose. Even use animals, they have their own purpose. Those are two main purposes; for medical studies and for toxicity testing that researchers do the experiment on animal.
* For medical studies
- After generalization of the experiment on animals, the development speed of medicine was faster than before. We could develop new treatments of Cataract, Measles, Smallpox, Rabies, and so on through the animal testing. In 1950, a schizophrenic treatment drug could be developed by doing an experiment with chimpanzees. Also, they kept doing the experiment with chimpanzees, so found rubella vaccine in 1960. There are so many new treatments which could be developed through the animal testing.
* For toxicity testing.
- Draize test is used for testing stimulus degrees of new products like shampoo.
It is very important work for human because through this test we can prevent aftereffects.
2. Lately example of the successful experiment with animals.
Until now, researchers have done the test with animals for medical development all over the world. They also have a lot of successful result. There are really many success of it, so I bring some of these.
* Hepatitis B DNA vaccine
- According to Cancer Gene Therapy, VGX international proves hepatitis B DNA vaccine effect which they have developed through an animal test. They tested animals with the hepatitis B DNA vaccine and they could see the positive effect.
* Peripheral nerve regeneration
- At Seoul-university hospital, Seoul university hospital researchers succeed peripheral nerve regeneration using stem cells in an experiment on animals
* Curing sleep disorder
- Basic science researchers confirm that they can cure sleep disorder using brainwave. They can prove that through an animal testing. The success of this test was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
3. The difficulty of clinical demonstration
Researchers usually say that an experiment with animals is easier than clinical demonstration. Because clinical test has so many risk of danger and they can’t control them easily, people who want to write a monograph or draw a result of their hypothesis prefer the experiment with animals to clinical demonstration. All the products; new drugs experiments or new treatments, which have developed don’t have very bad aftereffects, but there is no one who is sure about the result. I mean that there are so many risk of death in clinical demonstration without the animal test.
- What’s the difference between animals testing and eating animals -
If you want researchers to stop doing animal testing, I have a question for you that ‘how do you often eat beef or chicken? ‘. The reason why I asked you this question is that if you hope that all the beings are happy without pain, why don’t you stop eating beef? What’s the difference between animals testing and eating animals? I have some rates of eating animals. According to Worldwatch, consumption of meat increased 2 percent from 2003 to 2004. Also, news reported that from 1950 to 2009, the personal consumption of meat increased double. As consumption of meat increased, people who sold meat had to grow more cows or pigs because they should satisfy our expectation of meat. It became a really serious problem. It was also about animals. To satisfy us, they had to grow animals faster and more like mass production. However, there were not enough places to grow all the animals, so they started to put animals (cows and pigs) into a small place. The problem actually started at that time. Because many animals were in a same unhygienic place, a new animal’s disease was developed like bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Animals had to receive all of uncomfortable feeling and all of the disease. However, there are not many people who accept this problem seriously. If all the beings are really important, why there is no one who cares about that happen seriously? What I want to say is that eating meat is similar to the experiment with animals. Actually, there is no difference between both of them. If you are worried about just animal’s pain, those two are just same. Everyone knows that it is not good for animals, but there is no another choice because we need them and we can’t stop eating meat or developing for our curing. However, the experiment with animals is better than eating animals. Because eating animals was a reason of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, but the experiment with animals is always thinking about a new treatment of that. Also, eating animals are causes of many diseases; bluetongue, avian influenza, a salmonella, human listeriosis and so on. Anyway, we can’t stop doing those, but we can consider about the way that we can lessen their painful feeling and sadness.
- Refutation about disagreement side opinions -
1. The cost for checking animal’s DNA and the difference between DNA of human and DNA of animals.
* The cost for checking animal’s DNA to do experiment is so expensive, how do you think?
- I agree with that if a researcher wants to test something, they have to check animal’s DNA. However, that is only one time. When they get rabbit’s DNA sample, they don’t have to care about it at next time. Also, if they don’t do animal testing because of that, they might have to do clinical demonstration. As I wrote, it has not only risk of danger, also risk of death and the most important thing is that when they do clinical testing, there will be another cost to do experiment like aftereffect cost. Therefore, it is not good thought that researcher will stop doing test because of the cost for checking animal’s DNA.
*What do you think about many differences between DNA of human and animals?
- There are many differences in body structure, of course. However, in case of vertebrate, the nature of cells of each organ is very similar to human. Therefore, with those kinds of animals, the success rate of experiments are high.
2. Aftereffects
* How about aftereffects?
- Most of drugs, preventive injections in general use are passed the experiment on animals. If there was no animal testing, there would be more aftereffects on people and many people would die. Also, if drugs or preventive injection were not developed because of the fear of aftereffects, more people would die because of all diseases. It is impossible that there will never be aftereffects. However, researchers always consider about the way more people can survive or be cured. Also, in case of animals, it is same. Actually, all the drugs that inject into animals are passed a former level, so that drugs are lessened risk of dangers. I mean the researcher might think that this drug will cure animals. This is not a killing game. The test has a purpose that cures more people. There can be unsuspected bad happening, but there also can be successful result.
3. Other suggestions.
* I heard that Digital computer simulation can take the place of the experiment on animals. Is it impossible?
- The conclusion is that computer simulation can take the place of the experiment on animals. The technology of computer simulation is not perfect now. That can be a cause of many deaths. The rate that computer simulation can be successful is 85 percent, but it is the highest percent. If there is a solution that can take the place of it, researcher may use that. As I told you, it is not a game. There is no one who wants all of the animals to receive more pain.
4. Brutality of animals testing
* Sometimes, cruel experiments are processed by some researchers.
- If some researchers do cruel experiments, they will be arrested by police officers. It is illegal in our country. Korea has some laws which do not allow researchers to do painful experiments with animals. Practically, there are not many researchers who do a cruel animal test. There is ‘3R principle‘all over the world. This principle is for the animals which are used in the experiment. 3R is the most important principle, when someone tests on animals. 3R is each Replacement, Refinement and Reduction.
Conclusion
You should remember that when your father or mother gets disease, the treatment of that illness will be come from the experiment with animals. Also, if will be, how can you disagree about that? However, we have to thank for them and researchers have to keep the '3R principle'
We have to consider how we can lessen their pain and fear. They are satisfied for us. We at least give them the right to not be painful. Also, we don't have to punish our selves because of it. We just accept our thought that we can't satisfied for them and just thank for them.
We have to develop the technology faster for animals until digital computer simulation can take the place of that experiment.
Newspaper “서울대병원, 줄기세포로 말초신경 재생 동물실험 성공
Newspaper” VGX인터 상한가‥B형간염 DNA백신 동물실험 성공
Newspaper” "뇌파로 수면장애 치료"…동물실험 성공 “
Newspaper” 동물실험은 필요악인가?”
,http://blog.naver.com/hyunju959?Redirect=Log&logNo=130121416374, 2011/10/18 23:16
Internet” 육식으로 인한질병”,
Book 김, 기철 ; ” 세상에 대하여 우리가 더 잘 알아야 할 교양 : 동물실험, 왜 논란이 될까?”,내인생의 책, 2012.9.21
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It is my opinion for Experiments with animals
I just want to share this for my blog friends.
