I would ask you to think very carefully about the consequences of not doing
animal experiments to develop new drugs or test new medical theories. As for
the medical theories the alternative is to either do the experiments on
human beings, which would amont to murder and torture (think Dachau), or not
develop new theories at all. That means no more progress in medical science.
For the pharmaceutical industry, it might mean that new drugs are being
developed but nolonger tested extensively in a number of animals. Remember
the rohypnol catastrophe? DES? Softenon? These are but a few examples of
what could happen if drugs aren't tested properly, and even with proper and
extensive testing there are no guarantuees that the drugs will behave in
humans the way they're supposed to. That's not to say that animal
experimentation is useless, it's just difficult to interpret and one must be
careful not be overly confident about the safety of drugs when they enter
human experimentation. So, no extensive testing before going to the human
situation with a drug could cause catastrophes like the ones I mentioned to
happen all over again. So, okay, just go directly to the human situation and
do all the tests that one would in animals in humans. Not a good idea,
unless you're prepared to commit horrible torture and murder, Dachau style.
It might also mean no new drugs. None, never again. And I don't mean no new
"me toos" (such as the umpteenth ace-inhibitor) but really new drugs. Such
as less toxic agents against some forms of cancer, good alternatives for
anti-biotics (and time may be running out on that one) or maybe that cure
against malaria. It wouldn't happen, because pharmaceutical research
wouldn't exist anymore. Some may believe that would be a good thing, and if
you do please lay off the aspirin, the elavil, tramadol or prozac. Don't
take anti-biotics, don't have that treatment when you have cencer, because
it's all developed by the evil drug companies.
Medical and pharmaceutical scientists, all over the world, are working
towards developing alternatives to animal experimentation. But the problem
will always be that it's impossible to get the full picture of what would
happen in a whole body when all you can study are a few cells; and it's
equally impossible to develop a computer model of that what you don't know.
Alternatives will and do arrive, but it won't completely stop animal
experimentation.
I agree that care must be taken when ever an animal is "sacrificed" for
science, and it mustn't be taken lightly, but I do think that it really is a
nessecary evil.
--
Robert Bronsing
Can't you see?
It all makes perfect sense,
expressed in dollars and cents, pounds, shillings and pence
(R. Waters)
