Animal testing may be viewed as cruel, or even evil, but its truly invaluable.

The deciding factor

of if you agree or disagree with animal testing is if you believe that the pros outweigh the cons.
Animal testing has given us countless contributions to science, which strengthen not only us,
but also the animals. Animal testing has cured many illnesses and improved our health. One
benefit is that we live longer than we did before animal testing, but sadly there is no alternative
that works as well as animal testing.
Animal testing has contributed to many life-saving cures and treatments. The California
biomedical Research Association states, Nearly every medical breakthrough in the last 100
years has resulted directly from animal testing. Examples are experiments in which dogs had
their pancreases removed, leading directly to the discovery of insulin, which is critical to saving
the lives of diabetics. Also, the Polio vaccine that was tested on animals reduced the global
occurrence of the disease from 350,000 cases in 1988 to 233 cases in 2012. Animal research has
supplied major advances in understanding and treating conditions such as breast cancer, brain
injury, childhood leukemia, cystic fibrosis, malaria, multiple sclerosis, and tuberculosis. Animal
testing was instrumental in the development of pacemakers, cardiac valve substitutes, and
anesthetics. Chris Abee, director of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Centers
animal research facility, states that We wouldnt have a vaccine for hepatitis B without
chimpanzees, and says that the use of chimps is Our best hope for finding a vaccine for
hepatitis C, a disease that kills 15,000 people every year in the United States. (Animal-Testing,
Pros-Cons, pp. 1)
Animal research has played a vital role in virtually every major medical advance of the last
century for both human and veterinary health. From antibiotics to blood transfusions, from
dialysis to organ transplantation, from vaccinations to chemotherapy, bypass surgery and join
replacement, practically every present-day protocol for the prevention, treatment, cure and
control of disease, pain and suffering is based on knowledge attained through research with lab
animals. (Benefits, Pro-Test: Standing up for Science, pp 1) Animal research improves human
health it is for this reason why its necessary. (Ian Murnaghan, Using Animals For Testing, 2013,
pp 1) People embracing this argument feel that animal research is vital to the continued
development of human medicine. They believe that it is important if we are to guarantee the
safety of potentially dangerous products. (Animal Testing, The Animal Rights Debate, pp 1)
Animal research has played a tremendous part in life expectancy at birth increasing it by 10.7%.
Animal testing has also given us new cancer drugs, which account for 50-60 percent of the gains
we have made in cancer survivability rates since 1975. Until recently, surgery, radiation,
therapy and chemotherapy, were the dominant treatments. Thanks in large to animal based
research, there is a new molecular and genetic understanding of tumor biology, leading to
treatments that set out to more directly kill cancer cells. (Animal Research Benefits, 2014, pp 1)
Animal research hasnt benefited only humans. Animals also have improved health care, and a
longer lifespan. Farm animals, household pets, wild species and endangered species are all
benefiting from the research conducted through animal testing. There are vaccines for rabies,
distemper, tetanus, parvo virus and numerous other illnesses in cats, dogs and countless other
domesticated animals. Cats now have a treatment for Feline Leukemia. Its obvious that animal
research benefits all living species and that we are all able to live longer, healthier, happier lives
because of it. (Benefits, Pro-Test: Standing up for Science, pp 1)
Sadly there are no great alternatives to animal testing, which is why animal testing is needed.
No computer or small test can simulate the complex human body like animals can. (Animal
Research Benefits, 2014, pp 1) Animal testing is seen as the best option for medical progress. It
is far better than any computer simulation or non-living model. Many people that agree with
animal testing admit that its unfortunate that animals must sometimes suffer, but they feel the
pain is a small price to pay for advancing science. Animals are appropriate research subjects
because they are so similar to humans. Chimpanzees share 99% of their DNA with humans, and
mice are 98% genetically similar. All mammals including humans are descended from common
ancestors, and all have the same set of organs (heart, kidneys, lungs, etc.) that function
essentially the same way. Because animals and humans are so similar, Parkinsons research has
advanced to the point of halting the disease progression. Even preventing Parkinsons is
considered a realistic goal. In animal studies, this family of proteins has revived dormant brain
cells, caused them to produce dopamine and prompted dramatic improvement of symptoms,
which could stop Parkinsons disease. (Animal-Testing Pros-Cons, 2014, pp 1)
The contributions animal testing have given us are invaluable to the life of humans. It has cured
many illnesses, and improved our overall health. There are no great alternatives to animal
testing, but with animal testing we live longer and we live better. We live better because animal
testing has improved our life expectancy at birth by 10.7%. Animal testing has cured many
illnesses by doing experiments on dogs, which helped us find the polio vaccine. Most
importantly, there are no alternatives that can replicate how the complex human body works.
Animal testing is a necessary evil, but more medical breakthroughs are bound to come out of it.