McNally 1

McNally Catherine
Essex
Adv. English Period 2
April 27, 2010

Animal Experimentation

Animal experimentation has been around for a very long time and only continues

to grow. Throughout the years countless animals are abused and killed for research.

These innocent animals are tortured and they suffer an extreme amount of pain. How

would you like it to have caustic substances placed in your eyes while you were

conscious just to evaluate the damage to eye tissues? Rabbits who are subjected to this

cruel punishment often scream when the substances are applied and sometimes break

their necks or backs trying to escape the restraints. This is wrong and should not be

allowed at all. Animals should not be subjected to medical or cosmetic testing.

Many scientists have said that animal experimentation helps find cures and

medicines for humans, but this is not true. Not only is animal testing inhumane, but also

it is inaccurate. Each species reacts differently to certain substances and procedures. Just

because a product was found safe on an animal does not prove that it will be safe on

humans let alone another animal.

For example PCP is a sedative for chimps, penicillin kills cats and guinea pigs but

saves humans, arsenic is not poisonous to rats and mice but it is to humans, and digitalis

dangerously raises blood pressure in dogs but saves countless cardiac patients by

lowering heart rate. Also Research reveals that only 5 to 25% of the animal tests and

human results are agreeable.

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Many will argue that animal testing saves human lives and helps fight diseases.

According to scientists animal testing aids researchers in finding drugs and treatments to

improve health and medicine. Many medical treatments have been made possible by

animal testing, including cancer and HIV drugs, insulin, antibiotics, vaccines and many

more. Polio was not the only disease wiped out due to vivisections. Flu vaccinations were

created and cures for smallpox came from animal testing. Therapeutic usage of many

antibiotics, including penicillin, was conducted on animals. Although some animal

testing experiments have worked does not mean all of them will. Many experimental

drugs and treatments that have been found effective on animal models will not

necessarily work in people. Animals and humans metabolize 83% of substances

differently. Only a few percentage of drugs and treatments will work on both animals and

humans.

Many say animal testing is used to aid researchers in finding drugs and treatments

to improve health, but still a large number of animal testing is for cosmetics. Every year,

cosmetics companies kill millions of animals to test their products. Testing animals for

things such as makeup, shampoo, and perfume does not contribute to finding cures for

diseases. The FDA does not even require animal testing for cosmetics, and alternative

testing methods are widely available and lead to more reliable results.

There are numerous cheaper alternative methods for animal testing that have been

developed. These make use of cell and skin tissue cultures, corneas from eye banks, and

sophisticated computer and mathematical models. Some companies avoid testing

altogether by using non-toxic natural ingredients or those that have already been safety-
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approved by the Cosmetics, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. Not only are these

testing methods more accurate they are significantly cheaper.

Animal Testing is wrong because it kills innocent lives for inaccurate results or

for results that do not even contribute to medical research. Thousands of animals die and

suffer per year for no reason. Animal experimentation should be illegal.

 Reference Page
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/animal-testing-facts.html

http://www.aboutanimaltesting.co.uk/using-animals-testing-pros-versus-cons.html

http://www.idausa.org/facts/costesting.html

http://www.whitecoatwelfare.org/aat-text.shtml

http://www.vegetarian-restaurants.net/Additives/Animal-Testing.htm

http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=19866