Luís de Andrade Martini

Animal experimentation is necessary for the welfare and human health? The answer to this question is not. To explain it simply, if so they, not necessary the existence of veterinary drugs and medicines for human use, and could choose between us operate on a doctor or a veterinarian. Indeed, there would be no differences between the two professions.

Anyone who has studied biology learns that organisms evolve. Evolve means to differentiate, derive. Rats and mice are like animals, but not identical; they derived from a common ancestor, each with its own characteristics. But since the accumulated differences, two species arose, next, but different. Fact is that both bodies react differently to certain drugs, certain treatments. Do not just know that rats weigh more than mice for correcting the dose of a drug, since there is no scientific linearity check this extrapolation. The differences between species are qualitative rather than quantitative.

Likewise does the mouse in relation to the hamsters, the hamster in relation to guinea pig, this compared to rabbits, frogs, pigeons, dogs, cats, pigs, and monkeys, of course, man. No results that get these animals can be applied to man, because contrary to what they want us to believe, the mouse is not a human that weighs five hundred times less. Also, the difference in 0,4% genes between chimpanzee and man does not make this a model recommended for human disease research in 99,6% Two cases.

Animals used in experimentation, to be considered “good”, must belong to specific lineages. They need to be as homogeneous as possible, with a minimum of genetic variation. Thus, the results obtained from these experiments are well grouped. If instead of using animals of the same strain were used animals with different origins, even of the same species, the results would be inconclusive, because even within the same species differences make the reactions to treatments very varied. Hence we can understand the inconsistency of the defense of the use of animals.

The most common allegation to defend these practices is that humans and pets are directly benefited by these experiments. Defend yourself that, without animal research, humans would not have vaccines, transplants, anesthesia, or drugs that supposedly treat different diseases. Alarms to the idea that the end of animal testing mean the end of humanity. The decline in our quality of life, in our longevity. These claims are, to say the least, misleading.

While all of these treatments have been thoroughly tested and approved for animals, they all showed failed to produce promising effects in humans, at least at first. Many of them, despite the proven safety in animals, proved to be harmful to humans, producing severe side effects. And if the intention of these experiments was to prevent human beings were used as guinea pigs, it did not happen.

If organ transplantation today can be performed with greater success and are somewhat safer vaccines, was because over these last decades these treatments have been tested in humans, often at the expense of their lives and health. The supposed success of these treatments in more recent times, although likely to be challenged in other instances, can not be attributed to the use of animal models, but the use of human subjects.

Humans died within the first organ transplants, Humans have suffered severe adverse effects of vaccines in the past, and based on these trials and errors, the current medicine was built. Not based on animal experimentation. XX

But, to animal experimentation does not benefit humans, why most people believe that it is essential? We can say that in a sense science works as a religion, where the authority of the higher clergy is never challenged; so, a doctor can never be questioned, even if it is a mere player an idea he heard. The scientist himself often not questioned, which seems counterintuitive, but it assumes that certain assumptions are true and defends them blindly.

In another approach, science is mercantilist. It works by commercial interests, and animal experimentation is interesting in this regard. Besides all the equipment and supplies needed for the maintenance of laboratory animals (cages, containment equipment, rations, etc.) industry profits from animal experiments.

Industries, as pharmaceutical, derive their profits from the sale of its products, If not, drugs. Therefore, they need to convince people that their products are vital to your quality of life. Efforts are made to convince people that the increase in our life expectancy is directly related to the huge availability of drugs and current treatments. Few attribute these improvements to our current housing conditions, Hygiene, clean water supply, sanitation, food safety, etc., These factors also began to prevail in the last decades.

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Luis de Andrade Martini is a psychologist and professor of psychology course graduate of the Institute of São Paulo Seat of Wisdom, which also performs the duties of supervisor and advisor stages of scientific research.