Essay, Research Paper: Medical Research On Animals

Medical research is a lengthy process that involves numerous undertakings. Without taking the risks and paying the costs, new findings would not be accomplished. Animal research has been especially beneficial to the field of medicine. Testing on animals should be accepted in the world of scientific studies because it would provide research for diseases, benefit all mankind, surgical procedures, and finally it would save a lot of time.
First, animal testing would provide scientists with new ways to treat diseases. Many vaccines for diseases have been found by testing on animals. For example, millions of people would die per year of diseases that scientists had no idea on how to deal with if they did not take the time experiment on animals first. Heloisa Sabinos of The Wall Street Journal says, “Without animal research, polio would still be claiming thousands of lives each year. There could not have been any oral vaccine without the use of innumerable animals, a very large number of animals” (1). Polio is just the start of diseases cured by these tests. Also, Dr. Joseph E. Murray states, “The research almost certainly will enable doctors to treat leukemia, a plastic anemia and lymphoma patients with human bone marrow that is less than perfect match and open the pool of potential organ donors to include animals” (Los Angeles Times 1). As illustrated, animal experimentation will benefit all living things in the long run. These new processes will save thousands of lives and enable us to live longer healthier lives.
Animal testing will surely benefit all of mankind. Nevertheless, it all depends on if we give scientists time to do these tests. For example, “More than two thirds of all Nobel Prizes in medicine were awarded for discoveries that involved research with animals,” says Jacquie Calnan of The Washington Time’s (1). If animals were not used how many discoveries would we not have found? “Over the past century, animal research has helped to increase our life span by nearly 28 years,” states Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation (1). Not only are we living longer we are also more healthier. Many people would die a lot younger without these tests and experimentation’s.
In addition, animal testing has proven to be very beneficial to new surgical procedures. Moreover, to the use of lasers and other useful devices. For example, “Without animal research more than one million Americans would lose vision in at least one eye this year because cataract surgery would be impossible,” says AMPEF (2). If that many people had lost their vision, the world would be very different. Furthermore, “Without animal testing Surgery of any type would be a painful, rare procedure without the development of modern anesthesia allowing artificially included unconsciousness or local or general insensitivity to pain,” says AMPEF (2). Would you want to go into any surgery that would be excruciatingly painful?
Finally, if scientists did not experiment on animals they would lose a lot of crucial time in being able to treat their patient. This would make the process of finding how to treat the disease and curing it much longer. For example, if scientists would have experimented with cancer and AIDS on humans a tremendous number of people would have died and we probably would not have come as far as we have. “History has shown that animal research is an essential component of most medical breakthroughs” (AMPEF 1). This shows that we would not have breakthroughs as quickly as do if we did not test on animals. In addition, “7,500 newborns who contract jaundice each year would develop cerebral palsy, now preventable through phototherapy” (AMPEF 2). Phototherapy probably would not be available for these babies if we did not experiment on animals because of the time it would take another way. We would have an incredible high death rate if scientists did not participate in animal testing.
In conclusion, “medical research is a lengthy, highly risky and expensive process with no certainties. Without taking the time, braving the risks and paying the costs, there can be no success” (AMPEF 3). If animal experimentation becomes more widely excepted, medical research will greatly benefit from these new findings in animals. Not only in the human race, but also in all living organisms. With a disease-ridden society, the world will become a much better and happier place to live in.



Bibliography


Americans for Medical Progress Educational Foundation. [online] Available http://www.ampef.org/, 3/5/00
Calnan, Jacquie. “Nobel Prize Shows Animals Are Vital to Medical Research.” Washington Times 14, October 1998: 1
Murray, Joseph. “Animals Hold the Key to Saving Human Lives.” Los Angeles Times 5, February 1996: 1
Sabin, Heloisa. “Animal Research Saves Human Lives.” The Wall Street Journal 18, October 1995: 1


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