I.

Introduction

Vivisection, the dissection or other use of living animals in scientific research. Biomedical research, in general terms, can be defined as the study of living organisms and their interactions to: (1) improve medical, veterinary, or biological understanding, in order to enhance or maintain the well-being of human beings, animals, or the environment; (2) test the safety of chemicals or other products, to safeguard the welfare of human beings, animals, and the environment; and (3) improve fundamental biological knowledge.

Most animals are used in “applied” biomedical research, which aims to solve practical problems, and this work includes: developing and selecting new medical and veterinary pharmaceuticals; toxicity (poisons) testing; developing, testing, and improving surgical materials and procedures; the study of experimental diseases and pathology; development and production of antisera and vaccines; development of medical and veterinary diagnostic techniques; and education and training.

Animals are used generally as “models” for human beings but they are also used in research to improve the health of other animals. The procedures used are either carried out wholly under anaesthesia, without anaesthesia, or with initial anaesthesia followed by recovery and continued observation. The use of anaesthesia is dependent on the type of investigation.

Biomedical research that involves the use of whole animals, in vivo, is more prevalent than in vitro research, which uses either isolated organs, tissues, cells (grown on culture media), or subcellular constituents. This is because in vitro research can be limiting as it does not take into account the effects of other tissues and organs of a living organism.

Several animal rights groups (“antivivisectionists”) are opposed to the use of animals in this context. They believe that animals have the same rights as human beings and they promote the use of equally valid alternatives to using animals; in addition, they object strongly to the testing of products that may contain unnecessary chemicals.