Alexis Rio

English 1010
Final Draft

Animal Testing. Cruelty or Science?

Modern animal testing has been around for over 150 years, but animal testing itself can
be dated back to the Romans and Greeks. In the 2nd Century there was a physician by the
name of Galen who is to be considered the founder of experimental physiology who had a very
strong interest in human anatomy, but due to the Roman law prohibiting the research on human
cadavers he studied animals because he believed them to have very similar anatomy structure.
He tested on apes and pigs to prove his theory that veins carry blood and not air. Since Galens
research from over two thousand years ago animal research has boomed. The ethics of animal
testing has always been in question, the supporting side argues animal testing is one of the best
options we have to make these medical advances and the non-supporting side states we have
alternative options that we should be implementing.

Animal testing also known as animal experimental testing are the procedures that are
performed on living and non-living animals for the purpose of research and to test the
effectiveness of new medical products like pharmaceuticals. There is also research being done
for consumer and industry products such as cosmetics, food additives and household products.
Some of the most common tests being done on these animals are;
Eye irritancy- the Draize eye test was developed in 1994 to assess eye irritations caused
by chemicals. A substance is placed in one eye and then the rabbits are restrained and
monitored for up to three weeks later.
Acute Toxicity- with this test animals are exposed to dangerous chemicals by skin, mouth or
inhalation for as long as it takes until half of the animals die from the lethal exposures. During
this testing animals will lose their motor function, and experience convulsions and seizures.
Skin Sensitization- is used mainly on guinea pigs to test products for skin allergies.
Dermal Penetration- this test is most oftenly used on rats and it analyzes the movement of a
chemical in the skin and bloodstream.
Mutagenic- a physical or chemical agent that changes the information of an organism.

Neurotoxicity- A study most oftenly used on hens and rats to study the changes of the nervous
system due to the substances. The animals are observed for behavioral and physical changes
and then are killed at the end of the tests.
Ecotoxicity- Commonly used on fish is the test to determine the negative effects of a substance
entering an environment. 50% of the fish die within 96 hours.
These procedures as well as their project licences are categorized into a few different
categories like:
Mild: cause short term mild pain, distress and minor changes in behavior. Mild tests include
anesthesia, taking a blood sample, and MRIS.
Moderate: short term moderate pain, suffering and long lasting moderate pain. Moderate tests
include surgery, causing cancer in an animal, modified diet, and forced swim tests.
Severe: cause long lasting severe pain and distress, Severe tests are any test where death of
fatalities are the expected outcome. Severe tests include electric shocks, testing a device that is
expected to fail and cause death.
Non Recovery- The animals are placed under general anesthetic before the procedure and is
humanely killed, never regaining consciousness. (UAR)
These are the tests that are being used on over 100 million animals each year. It is
reported that there are many different animal species used around the world but the most
common in the US especially are mice, fish, rats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, cats,
dogs, small pigs, and and non-human primates such as chimpanzees and monkeys. Some of
these animals are specifically bred and chemically altered, others although not proven, are said
to be found in pounds and street animals. A question many people who do not support animal
research are asking, is where does the funding come from? The estimated amount the US pays
out each year for this testing is 16 Billion dollars of taxpayers money.(Peta, Web). Universities
that are granted hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to complete this research are
NorthEastern University, Oregon Health and Science University, and even our very own
University of Utah was granted $500,000 in funding for their testing purposes. (Peta, Funding)
Animal activists will argue that medical research being done on animals is not needed
and that we have other options to complete this research without testing on animals, but on the
other hand scientists will argue that we use medical testing on animals to diagnose, cure and
prevent disease and it is the most effective option. We continue to use the research that has
been done on these animals in our everyday lives. Dr. Bella Williams, head of the
Understanding Animal Research charity states animal testing is completely necessary to
understand how our bodies work and how the testing will affect humans and our bodies. We
could not give a human cancer to study but we can study cancer development in mice, and mice
that have been modified by adding humans genes are ever better models for disease
development. Using scanners their tumors can be studied, before the mice become too sick.
(Manchester News) Dr. Williams states that we would not be able to have blood transfusions,
antibiotics, vaccines, or asthma medicine without animal research.

Some of the major medical breakthroughs we have made from animal testing are
various advancements in different cancers. There are new cancer drugs that account for 5060% of the gains we have made in cancer survival rates since 1975. (AMP). The drugs created
through animal testing for cancer has increased life expectancy in the US by 10.7%. Now we
have other options such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy that are now the
dominant treatments for cancer, but the drugs created through animal research benefited cancer
patients. Childlike Leukemia, breast cancer, lung cancer and chronic myeloid leukemia are four
of the major cancers that animal research has helped save thousands of lives.
Birth Defects have been benefited through animal research. Studies done with animals
have determined that folic acid, a B vitamin helps prevent serious birth defects of the brain and
spinal cord when taken before conception and early on in pregnancy. Surfactant therapy one out
of every eight babies will be born prematurely. Surfactant is a detergent like substance that is
produced on the lungs to aid in breathing. Infant deaths due to respiratory distress syndrome
have dropped by over two-thirds. Research supported by March of Dimes continue to seek
more efficient therapies for this cause. (AMP)
There are over 29 million people in the US diagnosed with Diabetes, in 2010 there were
only 26 million people diagnosed with diabetes. 1 in 4 people do not know they have diabetes.
Another 86 million people in the US have prediabetes- more than one in three adults. Adults
with prediabetes have blood sugar levels too high and without moderate exercise and dieting
they will be type 2 within a five year time span. Diabetes is a leading cause of death and
disability in not only humans, but just about every dog breed there is. Several new
developments, treatments and medicines such as insulin, islet transplantations to help manage
their disease. Animal research continues to improve treatments for chronic complications
including blindness, kidney disease and heart disease, and strokes.
Epilepsy more than 2.7 million Americans have an active seizure disorder. Doctors
estimate that only half the people suffering from epilepsy have their seizures under control and
can live a normal life. In the past decade nine new medicines to treat epilepsy have been
created using animal research. And eight new treatments are underway to offer better control for
seizures and cause fewer effects.
There have also been medical advances in Cystic Fibrosis have improved the life
expectancy of children diagnosed with this disease that affects breathing and digestion. While at
one time this disease killed most babies, most live until theyre in their mid 30s now, some even
live into their 40s and beyond. (AMP). There have been a number of drugs created through
animal testing and they are currently still being tested. However there is still no cure.
Researchers state they need to continue animal models in order to find a cure at some point.
Now these are just some of the health advancements we have made and animal
researchers are currently still working on things like cures and treatments for Alzheimer's,
strokes and even heart failure
While there has been so much growth with animal experimentation there are alternatives
we can be using to do our research. Animal activists and animal researchers can agree the
need for accurate, inexpensive, simple tests that we can do to replace the animals with no
added risk to public safety. The search for these alternatives include the Three Rs of human
experimentation: reduction, refinement, and replacement.

One of the first options we have is cell culture research, which is considered in vitro (in
glass) as opposed to in vivo (in living being). In vitro tests are done in glass and they are
artificial environments designed to stimulate living systems using animal or human cells ,
tissues, and organs. The human cells are limited due to the fact we can only get them from
cadavers or left over tissue from surgeries. However, one single animal can provide a large
amount of cells. Cell cultures do have their limits so they are not 100% effective, but when the
cultures cannot be used they are using non-mammalian animals like fish in replace of mice and
rats. Some of the research for cells can even be done using roundworms or microorganisms
such as yeasts and bacteria.
Our next alternative is computer programs and mathematical models. Computer
programs can stimulate biology functions and interactions. Some of the models use animal data
or vitro to predict whether a chemical or test is toxic or dangerous. According to the group
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, it takes up to 15 years and $500
million dollars to develop a new drug. (Animal Experimentation) Computer programs could
reduce the trial and error process and speed up the process ultimately saving money.
We could also use chromatography and spectroscopy, these are physical and chemical
techniques to isolate and measure drugs, toxins, and body fluids such as blood, urine, and
saliva.
Autopsies and postmortem studies can also be done in replace to animal testing which is the
examination of a human body after death. Autopsy research has led to medical discoveries such
as fetal alcohol syndrome, viral hepatitis, aplastic anemia, and legionnaires disease. (NEAVS)

According to a former employer at Huntingdon Life Sciences one of the world's largest
research laboratories, only 5-25% of the tests that are done on animals agree with human
anatomy. (Kinship Circle) That leaves almost 75% of room left over to potentially practice other
alternatives and implement the research studies we have made without the use of animals.
Majority of researchers state we will never fully be able to do away with animal research, even
animal activists can agree on that. There are so many health benefits from the animal testing we
have done for thousands of years, but I think most people can agree that it wouldnt hurt to
implement a few of the alternatives we have available to us to decrease the amount of animals
being used in research.

Works Cited
Animal Testing 101. PETA. 2010. Web. 19, October 2010. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.
http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animal-testing-101/
UAR- October 27, 2015. Examples of Procedures., Understandinganimalresearch.org
http://www.understandinganimalresearch.org.uk/how/understanding-animalprocedures/examples-of-procedures/
AAVS.Org. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.
http://aavs.org/animals-science/animals-used/
For and Against: Animal Testing. Manchesternews.co.uk. 28 Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Apr. 2016.
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/for-and-againstanimal-testing-693965#ifrndnloc
Its Tax Season: Learn How More Than $12 Billion in Taxpayer Money Is Wasted Annually. Web.
16 Apr. 2016 (PETA.org)
Day, Nancy. Animal Experimentation. Hillside, NJ, U.S.A.:Enslow, 1994. Print.
NEAVS.Org. Alternatives in Research. Web. 16 Apr 2016.
http://www.neavs.org/alternatives/in-testing
Who is Huntingdon Life Sciences? Kinship Circle. Web. 31 Oct. 2010. 16 Apr. 2016.
Animal Research Benefits. AMProgress.Org. Web. 27 Apr. 2016.
https://www.amprogress.org/animal-research-benefits