• Question: why do scientists test on animals and do yuo agree about it.

    Asked by matthewbest to Clare, Mariana, Pedro, Robert, Susanne on 15 Nov 2012.
    • Photo: Robert Insall

      Robert Insall answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      Matthew –
      If you want to study how cancer spreads, for example, there’s no point in just looking at cells in a dish. They don’t see the same messages, they don’t receive the same stimuli, and they don’t have the right types of other cells around them. So when scientists want to test if their theories are correct they usually test them on mice. Particularly mice that have been genetically engineered to get particular types of cancer.
      I don’t very much like working on mice. I do occasionally, to test the conclusions of things we think we have worked out. But I don’t have a particular problem with the idea of it. If I imagine that one of my daughters had cancer (fortunately they don’t have…) and ask how many mice I would experiment on if I thought it might save her – my answer would be “lots, as long as the experiments help cure cancer”.

      There is another type of animal experiments – putting make-up ingredients onto the skin of rabbits, or into their eyes, to see if they cause harm. I think those experiments are wicked. We don’t need new make-up ingredients. Fortunately, this type of experiment has mostly been banned in Europe.

      But experiments on mice that try and cure cancer? I would support them ahead of most of the other things we use animals for. Like making burgers, or leather, or feeding cats.

    • Photo: Susanne Muekusch

      Susanne Muekusch answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      Hi Matthew,

      I totally agree with Robert. It is necessary to do research on animals, if we want to advance our knowledge about cancer. Some things cannot be studied in the dish. For example, the brain cancer cells have this nasty property of walking around in the brain. If we try to keep them from doing that, we need eventually a brain to see whether or not we suceeded.

      There are a lot of laws to protect the animals. Every scientist who wants to do research on mice has to send a request to a committee. He needs to explain what he wants to do and why. This needs to be approved before the experiments can be done. Scientists are obliged to minimize suffering for the mice. Plus, you need a special licence, if you want to do research on mice, to ensure you do know how to handle them and do not hurt them accidentally.

      I do not have a licence and I do not experiment with the mice myself, but someone else did it for me and my research project.

      Animal testing for new cosmetics are not necessary, I agree with Robert.

      Whether I agree with it or not, not only depends on the experiment, but also on the animal. I think worms and flies are ok. Mice also. I really have a problem with experiments on apes, especially in the area of neuroscience. That is another example on what you cannot study in a dish: the brain. I don’t know if what we can learn from those kind of experiments justifies the experiment, but I definitely would refuse to do it myself (or let someone else do it for me).

      What do you think, when are experiments on animals justified?

    • Photo: Clare Taylor

      Clare Taylor answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      An important question Matthew. And one that lots of people have different opinions about. Robert and Susanne have explained some really important points and I agree with them both. Sometimes people who disagree with animal experiments for medical research go to extreme lengths. A well-known scientist in Manchester once told me stories about receiving death threats because of their research. People have the right to their opinions but do you think that kind of behaviour is justified?

    • Photo: Mariana Campos

      Mariana Campos answered on 16 Nov 2012:

      Hi Matthew,
      all the points that were raised here are very valid. I agree with all of them: for scientific knowledge I think animals should be used making sure that all the suffering is avoided, that you know how to handle them, the minimum number of animals are used. There are very strict rules about all this. For cosmetic reasons I don’t agree at all.
      one point that I want to add is that, if you want to be a scientist and you don’t like experiments with animals, that shouldn’t avoid you to become one. You can chose to work with cells in the dish, or bacteria, or maybe you think that is fine to work with flies or worms. I worked before with mice and I decided I didn’t want to work anymore with them, I didn’t feel comfortable. I still believe the research done with mice is important and needed, but it’s not for me.

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