Edward Sanchez
English 11
4/9/15
Animal Testing for Medical Purposes
Many existing diseases are being treated fairly well, and new drugs are being developed for our people’s sicknesses, yet how exactly are we able to do this? Animals used in animal testing rose by the Medicines Act of 1968 to over 5.5 million in 1970. This large amount helped the medical field grow in which animals played a major role in. Medical research on animals may not seem appropriate, but people are forgetting that this research will only help our advancement in medicine. It will help by figuring out which drugs work and which do not, helping us treat existing diseases, and the development of new drugs.
Using animals as test subjects in medical research helps figure out which drugs work, and which do not. They will help scientists see whether the drugs being given are safe. “Animal tests to discover how the drug works and whether it's likely to be safe and work well in humans” (FDA). Drugs that have not been tested can have negative effects on a patient’s health. As inhumane as it might seem, testing on animals is certainly safer than testing on humans. “As useful as "alternative" methods have proven to be, each has limitations” (Lankford). Using alternatives can help lower money spent for medical research and the animals used in testing. However, using animals is the only way to really get a good look at an organism’s body. No alternative can exactly replicate the body’s complexity. Without an animal’s help scientist will be left with no knowledge of a drug’s safety and can ultimately become a danger to the economy.
Medical research on animals not only assures the safety of drugs, but they also help with the treatment of existing diseases. Scientists have begun to create an impact on existing diseases. “Laboratory animals at UCLA leads to many medical breakthroughs that improve people's lives” (UCLA). Many diseases have been treated greatly such as Lyme disease, artificial...