Opponents of animal testing
Today, Animal models of disease have only limited informative value to humans. Man and mouse are certainly similar, but they are not identical. It is often not possible to keep the animals in pet stores and in the trials themselves under specific conditions of the species. It results in stress disorders among animals develop. For one to two transgenic animals, there were around hundred animals, which are then "eliminated". The obsession remains with secrecy, because of interest related to research, experiments on animals are subjected to the practice of secret.
Research on animals
According to the Ordinance on the Protection of Animals, all experiments with an animal are not considered an animal experiment. The scope of this order extends to all vertebrates, decapods and cephalopods. Experience with a worm or fruit fly is not an animal experiment.
Animal experimentation brings knowledge
It is important to conduct the animal research without animal testing; we would still be very far from our current understanding of biology. Significant acquisitions could not be obtained from experiments on animals. They typically have been decisive in some fields such as, fundamental processes concerning the operation of the eye for vision, the brain and nerves in the process of thought, antibiotics, diabetes, vaccines against diphtheria, yellow fever and polio, rabies, organ transplantation, research on cancer and many more. (Harnack 1996)
Over the past 25 years since the introduction of the Law on the Protection of Animals the field of animal Research has changed dramatically. Not only the number of researches on animals decreased by 75 percent, but the methods of implementation experiences have been refined resulted in less stress for the animals.
Several factors were responsible for these improvements in animal testing; a better understanding of the processes employed in human and animal organism has opened new opportunities for researchers to observe some process outside the body using isolated cells, for example. We can now analyze a muscle relaxant drug using isolated muscle cells instead of conducting study on whole animal. It was thus possible to reduce the number of experiments on animals. A change of opinion took place in society in recent decades such as animal now occupies a more prominent place in our society. (Rohr, 1989)Ethical guidelines for animal use were developed in order to avoid unnecessary testing, and pressure from animal advocates has accelerated the introduction of alternative methods and new directions.
More research, more experiments on animals
However, after 25 years of steady decline in numbers of animal experiments, the potential for further optimization is greatly reduced. The number of animal experiments has stagnated at around 500,000. Recently these figures have witnessed slightly increased in recent years. One of the reasons for this trend lies in the intensification of research in universities and industry. Universities and pharmaceutical companies charge more research, resulting in more experiments on animals. Another reason for the increase in numbers of animal experimentation lies in the progress of biomedical research including human genome, for example. The new knowledge has increased the need for transgenic animals. It uses these animals to study the action of individual genes in the whole organism.
Whenever possible, research is conducted with few animals
Initially, researchers were able to essentially achieve their goals by applying the principle of reduction, Later on they discovered more and more alternatives to animal testing. The significant reduction of animal experiments in the 80 and 90 is primarily due to the replacement of standard tests in the pharmaceutical industry and the decline recorded in the toxicological tests, which were analyzed in animals the adverse drug reactions. It is important to use methods, which do not involve animals. Many animal advocates and scientists agree on this point. Among the alternatives include, for example, tissue culture, in vitro methods or computer models. If these methods can never completely replace animal testing, they can still reduce the number of studies. (Haugen, 2007)This can help in meeting various alternative methods which can enable ultimately obviate the need for animal experiment.
Today it is primarily the improvement of conditions of experience that is at the forefront. This concerns for example the treatment of pain. Principle is administered analgesics to animals when they suffer. In many exceptional cases such as pre-approved waived, it is important to say that, the use of an analgesic would prejudice the course of the experiment. The pain is also included in research because animal body reacts to pain during the experience, and this reaction may remove any value to the results recorded. Various studies have shown a less pronounced pain leads to a better health of animal, and thus helps in identifying better results.
A point has been a long subject of debate, including the transposition to human data from animal experiments. Many experts also agree that good transposition depends on the quality of the experimental protocol. In toxicology, the correlation is about 70 percent. The only correct method would be to conduct these studies in humans. What is forbidden both by common sense that an international convention which was concluded in the wake of the atrocities committed by the Nazis.
Conclusion
The dilemma of animal experimentation in fact, each of us is opposed to animal testing. To learn understand better about the processes occurring in our body and which are identical in animals. This is especially important for researchers in basic research to identify these components. To discover the causes of disease and treatment options. One speaks in this case applied research, i.e. research that is conducted in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. It is important to conduct the animal research without animal testing; we would still be very far from our current understanding of biology. Over the past 25 years since the introduction of the Law on the Protection of Animals the field of animal Research has changed dramatically.
Works Cited
Cothran, Helen. Animal Experimentation: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, Calif: Greenhaven Press, 2002. Print.
Harnack, Andrew. Animal Rights: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996. Print.
Haugen, David M. Animal Experimentation. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Print.
Rohr, Janelle. Animal Rights: Opposing Viewpoints. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1989. Print.