What Scientists Say About Animal Research
The humane and
responsible use of animals in medical and scientific research has
the overwhelming support of scientists. A survey by the American
Medical Association found that 99 percent of active physicians in
the U.S. believed that animal research had contributed to medical
progress, and 97 percent supported the continued use of animals
for basic and clinical research. A 1996 survey of living
Nobel Laureates for medicine found unanimous
support for animal research.
Charles Darwin
English scientist who first proposed the theory of evolution by natural
selection
In a letter to a Swedish professor in 1881, Darwin expressed
his support of animal research: "I have all my life been a
strong advocate for humanity to animals, and have done what I could
in my writings to enforce this duty. ...I know that physiology cannot
possibly progress except by means of experiments on living animals,
and I feel the deepest conviction that he who retards the progress
of physiology commits a crime against mankind." Read
the entire letter reprinted in the Times of London.
Jocelyn Elders
Former U.S. Surgeon General
"The use of animals in biomedical research and
testing has been, and will continue to be, absolutely critical
to the progress against AIDS and a wide range of other applications
in both humans and animals."
Joseph Murray
Nobel laureate
On the day he was notified that he won the 1990 Nobel
Prize for medicine for his research on organ transplants,
Dr. Murray said: "None of this could have been done without
animal experimentation. It's a tragedy and a waste of resources
that scientists have to combat the anti-vivisectionists."
Albert Sabin
Developer of the polio vaccine
"Without the use of animals and human beings,
it would have been impossible to acquire the important knowledge
needed to prevent much suffering and premature death not only
among humans, but also among animals."
K.K. Caroll
Former Director of the Centre for Human Nutrition,
University of Western
Ontario
"I wonder whether those who object (to animal
testing) to finding a higher solution for a major health problem
would prefer to see a women continue to suffer and die from breast
cancer rather than accept the use of any form of animal experimentation,
which appears to us essential for making any real progress in
research on this disease."
James Stott and Neil Almond
National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, United Kingdom
"Animal models for AIDS are a crucially important
resource with which to understand the biology of immunodeficiency
viruses in vivo and thus to gain essential insights into the mechanisms
of pathogenesis and its prevention by vaccination and chemotherapy."
Arthur Haney
President, American Society for Reproductive Medicine
Head of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility
at Duke University Medical Center
"The most dramatic advancements in reproductive medicine
– oral contraceptives, in vitro fertilization, hormone replacement
therapy – have all been made possible by animal research."
Herb Pardes
Vice President for Health Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
Columbia University Health Sciences Center
"As we grow more aware of the biological and chemical
causes of depression and other mood disorders, it becomes clear
that conducting studies in other species helps us understand the
human brain. The recent discovery of highly specific antidepressant
and anti-anxiety medications would not have been possible without
the use of animal models."
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References
1. American Medical Association, Survey of Physicians'
Attitudes Toward The Use of Animals In Biomedical Research, 1989,
p. 8.
2. Survey by Seriously Ill for Medical Research.
3. The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin
(1959) Darwin, Francis, ed. New York: Basic Books, Inc., 382-383.
4. Letter from Albert Sabin to Sharon M. Russell,
Sept. 13, 1991.
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