Should animals be used for research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should animals be used for research - Essay Example There are many medical practitioners who argue that animal testing is based on a false premise since the results from animal experiments may not necessarily be significant to the effects on the human body; human beings, as certain a species, surely react differently to chemicals that are applied to these experimental animals. This makes it difficult for such experiments to be successful. Two of the most famous cases of this type of experiment are the ones involving Thalidomide and Clioquinol. Thalidomide came clean in the animal testing stage, involving thousands of animals, and it was deemed safe to be released to the public even to pregnant women and breastfeeding women. At least 10 000 children had been born with serious birth defects because their mothers had taken Thalidomide when they were pregnant, even if the animal testing proved it to be safe. Another drug is the Clioquinol, which was also tested on thousands of animals successfully but failed when it was used by humans. It was marketed as a drug against diarrhea and it worked well in animals. In humans, though, it actually caused diarrhea. As a result, more than 30 000 cases of paralysis, blindness and deaths occurred to those who took Clioquinol (Archibald). Another drug that was deemed safe for public use was Vioxx, which was used to treat arthritis. It was perfectly fine on the animal testing level, and was even proved to be beneficial for the heart but the results indicated otherwise in humans. It actually induced about 140 000 heart attacks and strokes in the US. Hormone replacement therapy is another thing, which was proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke in monkeys but increases the risk in humans. The Lancet reported that more than 20 000 British women acquired breast cancer as a result of taking HRT, in addition to cases of heart attacks and stroke. These are not