Why are animals important in biomedical research?

I Need Reasons Why Animals SHOULD Be Used For Scientific Research?

  • Its for a debate at school. Thanks.

  • Answer:

    Animal testing is absolutely essential because it would be scientifically, medically, ethically, morally, and legally indefensible to give a human being a substance which had never before been given to a living organism. It is essential that serious or lethal side effects be identified as accurately as possible before proceeding to human trials. Suppose your child had a serious progressive illness, and the doctors told you there was a new drug that might help. Picture this discussion: Well doctor, what are the risks? We have no idea. What are the side effects? We have no idea. Could it harm her? We have no idea. Could it kill her? We have no idea. How long would she have to take the drug? We have no idea. What is the safe dosage? We have no idea. Ok, well lets give it to her and see what happens. Not my child! Some unknowledgeable people say that testing on cell cultures can provide the same information. If that were true, no scientist would waste precious research funds on animal testing, which is many times more expensive. In fact, all new drugs are tested in cell culture before going on to animal trials, and most potential drugs never go on to animal trials because they don’t show promising results in culture. But cell culture testing alone cannot provide the needed information to ensure maximum safety in human trials. A cell culture doesn’t have a heart, lungs, kidneys, blood, a brain, or any other organs. Therefore it cannot predict such side effects as cardiac arrest, lung collapse, kidney failure, blood clots, brain tumors, etc.

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Animals should be used for research because if we are going to do research on animals, then we need to use them. Not all researches harm animals, if that is what you are getting at, and scientists do not want to harm animals. Over the years, scientists have invented many new techniques that would make it unnecessary to sacrifice animals. For example, it used to be necessary to kill an animal to obtain its stomach contents. However, there are new techniques that can remove the stomach contents of amphibians and reptiles by flushing their stomachs with water, without harming the animals. After the content has been removed, the animal can be released immediately in the field, and they are not harmed. DNA techniques have also allowed scientists to survey the diet of an animal by examining the droppings. Unless it is absolutely necessary, scientists will preserve the lives of research subjects, especially if they are wild animals. This is done not just for humanitarian reasons, but also for conservation. As habitats shrink and wild populations decline, it is imperative that we do as little harm as possible to the remaining populations in the wild. Those who are uninitiated may hold the mistaken belief that scientists wantonly kill animals for research. Nothing can be further from the truth.

Cal King

Animals should be used for scientific research because of the established foundation we have with it. Much of medical research has been derived from experiments which by today's standards may be considered inhumane. However, there are important reasons why animal testing and research is advocated by scientists. Many animals share a large percentage of DNA with humans. Notably, mice have about ninety-two percent which is why they're frequent test subjects. These similarities allow as closely accurate results as possible without putting human lives at risk. Not all testing is necessarily harmful to the animal and in fact brings up even more evidence of their own behaviors and body systems. Therefore, procedures developed through animal testing and research could be used to assist with future veterinary issues. Also, an animal should be in good conditions if the results are to be accurate. Procedures such as dissection yield some medical benefits. Animals may be used to practice surgery or even provide organ transplants. Pragmatically speaking, we want to test on other creatures to ensure safety of other humans.

EKRin

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