Elephant Man Experiment

A more modern example of an experiment where the product tested on the animal was successful, but when undergoing a human clinical trial failed, was the drug TGN 1214. In March 2006, under the direction of a scientist named TeGenero, six human volunteers were injected with TGN 1412. A quote by Slate describes the experiment to be harrowing, “Within minutes, the human test subjects were writhing on the floor in agony. The compound was designed to dampen the immune response, but it had supercharged theirs, unleashing a cascade of chemicals that sent all six to the hospital. Several of the men suffered permanent organ damage, and one man’s head swelled up so horrible that British tabloids refer to the case as the ‘elephant man trial.’” TGN

The term that is used to describe this is “stress-induced psychosis.” After seeing this footage, primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall stated, “In no lab I have visited have I seen so many chimpanzees exhibit such intense fear. The screaming I heard when chimpanzees were being forced to move toward the dreaded needle in their squeeze cages was, for me, absolutely horrifying” (Goodall). This investigation shows that the majority of people accept animal research because they think that animals don’t suffer, and that it’s scientifically necessary. On the contrary, the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) science team has methodically looked at the use of animals in research and determined that it is not predictive for humans and is often irrelevant and

Experiments on animals are also expensive and a waste of the government’s research dollars. Through taxes, charitable donations, purchases of lottery tickets, and consumer products, members of the public, ultimately, are the ones who – knowingly or unknowingly – fund animal experimentation. William Russell and Rex Burch came up with the “3Rs” principle in their book, The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique. The three r’s stand for: reduce, refine, or replace. In the context of animal research, they encourage test methods to reduce animal use required for testing while still achieving testing objectives. A testing method that refines animal use and eliminates pain or distress in animals, and a testing method that replaces animals with non-animal systems should be employed (Three