Rogerian Essay: Animal Testing

Jael Jara Enc1102 Kelly Thayer Rogerian Outline What is the issue ? ​Animal Testing What is the history of the issue ? - ​Animals have been tested on since the late 19th century - Played a central roll in Biomedical Research: A Historical Perspective https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4495509/ - Aristotle (384-322 BC) and Erasistratus (304-258 BC ) performed experiments on living animals. Used animals to advance the history of medicine and understanding of anatomy,physiology,pathology, and pharmacology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3123518/ Briefly state an overview of the issue’s two opposing positions?

- Do to the advance in our technological field we do have alternative methods for testing new vaccines and products (Quantative structure-activity relationships)

- “We have moved away from studying human disease in humans. … We all drank the Kool-Aid on that one, me included. … The problem is that [animal testing] hasn’t worked, and it’s time we stopped dancing around the problem. … We need to refocus and adapt new methodologies for use in humans to understand disease biology in humans.” —Dr. Elias Zerhouni

- These alternatives include sophisticated test using human cells and tissues ( In Vitro method) https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/alternatives-animal-tes ting/

- Experimentation on animals is outdated, cruel, and an inadequate method that can produce invalid and inaccurate results.

Side One ( Two Paragraphs, MINIMUM) POINT: The first reason in support of this position

- Alternative methods; cell cultures ( every type of human and animal cell can be grown in the laboratory.

- Computer methods (QSARS) - Volunteer studies

EXPLAIN: An explanation of how this reason and evidence further supports this position

- Using blood from human volunteers to test for the presence of fever-causing contaminants in intravenous medicines

- EpiSkin, EpiDerm, and SkinEthic POINT: The second reason in support of this position

- The bovine corneal opacity and permeability test - Isolated chicken eye test - Use eyes from animals slaughtered for the meat industry

ILLUSTRATE: Evidence supporting/ illustrating this point - “Humansociety.org - peta.org /issues/animals

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/alternatives-animal-tes ting/​ manan

EXPLAIN: An explanation of how this reason and evidence further supports this position

- The above statements are examples of methods that can be used to substitute testing in animals

- In Vitro method is an advance computer-modeling technique ( silico method ) not hindered by species differences that make applying animal test result

Side Two (Two Paragraphs, MINIMUM) POINT: The first reason in support of this position

- Cruel and inhumane a. Wastes money and resources and sidetracks meaningful scientific progress

EXPLAIN: An explanation of how this reason and evidence further supports this position

- Animals infected with diseases that they would never normally contract - Mice grow tumors as large as their own bodies - Kittens are purposely blinded - Rats Suffer seizures

POINT: The second reason in support of this position - After enduring these terrifying, painful procedures animals are dumped back into a

cage without any painkillers. - Dragged out to endure more pain -

ILLUSTRATE: Evidence supporting/ illustrating this point - “Neccessary evil” ( navs.org/the-issues) - peta.org/issues/animals-used

EXPLAIN: An explanation of how this reason and evidence further supports this position

- Promising in animals rarely works in humans - Inadequate comparison ; body structure differs

COMPROMISE/CONSENSUS (to be completed at a later date) ➢ What are the underlying assumptions for each position addressed above? ➢ What do the two sides have in common? What are their shared goals and/or values? ➢ What is your compromise? ➢ What does each side gain in the compromise? ➢ What does each side lose in the compromise? ➢ Why would both sides agree to this compromise?