Animals in Medical Testing essays

Animals in Medical Testing essays The use of animals in research has been key in the development of drugs and treatments, for human and animal illnesses. Vivisection, which is the practice of experimenting on animals, was first utilized by the ancient Greeks who cut the throat of a pig in order to understand swallowing. To study the beating heart, they cut into a live pigs chest (altweb.htm). These ancient experiments had no intention of making the animal feel pain or suffering, but was a sacrifice of a living animal for the sake of understanding. Western civilization can attribute its accomplishments in the field of medicine to the ancient Greeks in part, for their vast knowledge in medicine, which was fueled by innovative minds who obtained knowledge of the human body by those of the animals. Since the initial discoveries in medicine made by the ancient Greeks, researchers and doctors have used animals to learn how the organs and various systems of the body work, leading to the modern sciences we understand and us e today such as physiology, pharmacology, bacteriology, and immunology. Further improvement in the health and welfare of human and animal life and development in the field of medicine requires animals to be the subjects of experiments prior to human experimentation which may result in harm. Not a single person alive has not benefited from vivisection whether it be using aspirin for a headache, toothpaste, or household products such as cleaners, laundry detergent, lotions, and body ointments. Dont you like to know that these products are safe from cancer causing chemicals or other harmful substances which are undetectable to the human eye? And what of the ones we know who live with an illness or medical condition which requires them to take a prescribed drug, dont you like to know that these people have their drugs available to them and that they will reap healthy benefits from them? Nearly 2 billion prescriptions are filled every year in the...