Animal testing for biomedical research is a highly controversial topic. People feel very strongly about its advantages and disadvantages because it involves the search for cures for many diseases that affect humans and animals as well.

In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner injected the pus from cowpox blisters to an eight-year-old boy inoculating him against the small’s pox and creating the first vaccine. With the help of other animals like sheep’s, dogs and rodents, others physicians developed other vaccines for diseases such as, rabies and typhoid.

Moving forward to the 21st century, animal research continues in the study and search of medical treatments for 200 types of cancer, drug addiction and muscular degeneration etc.

I will be narrowing my topic to the pros and cons of animal testing for medical research and the promises of alternative solutions to medical advances without the use of animals for research.

Works cited

Newton, David E. The Animal Experimentation Debate Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013.

In this blog I will discuss the definition, history and uses on Animal Experimentation:

1.      Definition: Animal Testing is the use of living animals for experimental research. Vivisection is the practice or activity of doing scientific or medical experiments on a live animal. In the United States alone, 2.5 million vertebrate animals (animals with a skeleton made of bone) are used for biomedical research. Rats and mice are the most used type of mammals and the most cost effective (inexpensive) to work with. Others types of animals used are; monkeys, chimpanzees, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs. Farm animals like pigs, cows, sheep and goats are also used. Dogs and cats account for only 1% of mammals research use.

2.      History: The use of animal experimentation dates back from earliest eras like the 2^nd century. Greeks, Arabs and Roman scientists experimented on animals to observe the anatomical, physiological, pathological and pharmacological differences. These experiments were done as a public demonstration. Italian scientist Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564) performed a live vivisection with the assistance of his students to locate and study the functions of a dog’s organs. Now in the 21^st century, animal testing is done for biomedical, toxicology (drug testing) and cosmetic research with a small percentage of testing done for animal behavioral science research. The use of animals for research in the United State specially for pharmaceutical drug testing was very important to people in the 21st century. “In 1937, a pharmaceutical company created a preparation of sulfanilamide, a drug used to treat streptococcal infections, by using diethylene glycol (DEG) as a solvent. Unknown to the chemist, DEG was poisonous to humans, but he simply added raspberry flavoring and marketed the product as 'Elixir Sulfanilamide.' The preparation led to mass poisoning causing the deaths of more than a hundred people. The public outcry caused by this incident and similar disasters led to the passing of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requiring safety testing of drugs on animals before they could be marketed".

3.      Uses: Cosmetic Testing- performed to ensure cosmetic products are safe to use on a person’s eye and skin. In March 2013, all member countries of the European Union banned cosmetic testing.

 Biomedical Research- implemented to discover medical advantages to diseases like cancer, AIDS, diabetes, hepatitis B and C, Polio, tuberculosis, Parkinson, asthma, meningitis  and surgeries such as open heart, coronary bypass and heart transplants Biologist believed

Toxicology Testing- performed to evaluate the safety and potency side effects of pharmaceutical drugs, chemicals, food and pesticides.

Developmental Biology- testing is performed to study how living species behave, develop and function. Animals and humans perform the same vital functions such as breathing, digestion, movement and reproduction. According to biologist, chimpanzees have the closest DNA to humans follow by gorillas.

Military Combat Trauma- the U.S. military uses goats and pigs in Live Tissue trauma training (LTTT) to teach student how to treat severe traumatic injuries to limbs and torsos for wounded soldier caused mostly by  IEDS (improvised explosive devices).  Animals are anaesthetized and euthanized after being used for this training.

 

 

Works cited

wwww.humansociety.org/issues/biomedical-research

ww.medicaldaily.com/animal-testing-long--247217

 

 

 

 

 

English 112

Writing has always been a mystery to me. I have always wondered how professional writers and authors begin the process of sorting out their ideas from their imagination to paper in such perfect details. Having taken English 111 last fall, I discovered many of the steps that are involved in the professional writing process from the drafts, to the dissecting of the message's context, to the editing of the final work. I learned those steps and many more to be able to think critically, research wisely and improve my writing in a more professional manner.
Now, here Iam taking English 112 and the class curriculum is totally innovative and different from what I did in my previous writing class. I have been introduced to the world of Bloggers, creating my own account to post my topics of discussion with my professor and classmates and researching through other weblogs about what other bloggers are discussing about my same topic,
I have also been introduced to the world of poetry, not just read about it but use critical thinking to analyze the author's work. This class will definitely keep me interested and actively writing and I have confidence that I will learned the necessary skills from this class to write in a more professional manner.

Animal Testing

Animal Testing

This is a topic of high controversy and one that I have always been interested in researching more in depth. Many people believe animal testing is necessary and the only method of finding out how pharmaceutical drugs will react on humans to treat debilitating and life threatening illnesses such cancer and AIDS.
Conducting medical research on animals to find possible cures for humans is unreliable and ineffective. Animals do not get the same diseases as humans and viceversa. Their bodies respond differently to the drugs injected to them therefore making the results of the test unreliable and ineffective. Humans continue to have side effects after taking medications tested on lab animals.
There has been major medical discoveries during the last century without the use of animal testing. It is now possible for science professionals to discover drugs for the prevention and treatment of human diseases using biochemistry rather than live animals who feel pain, anxiety and fear when confronted with the reality of being locked in a small cage waiting for the unknown.