One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Animal Testing Analysis

Throughout history, society has walked a fine line between sanity and insanity; and today, the practice of animal experimentation attributes to modern society’s descent into madness. Ken Kesey, in his microcosm One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, demonstrates society’s insanity. Narrator, Chief Bromden, resides in a psychiatric ward where Nurse Ratched subjects the patients to unbearable physical and psychological pain through electroshock therapy (EST), lobotomies, and constant verbal abuse. These practices weaken and traumatize the men; much like animal experimentation does to animals. Despite many past medical advances being attributable to animal tests, in modern day society, the ethical treatment of lab animals and the accuracy of test results

The biological similarity of animals to humans, “makes them indispensable models for developing lifesaving treatments” such as vaccines for polio, tuberculosis, and hepatitis (Brulliard). The human lives these tests save outweigh the lives of animals lost. Lab animals, purposefully given diseases, provide important data, “so that scientists can test and devise effective treatments” (“Animal Testing”). A great example of this lies in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Harding, a patient, explains to McMurphy the origin of electroshock therapy. He tells the story of two psychiatrists in a slaughterhouse who watched the killing of cattle with a sledgehammer. These psychiatrists, “noticed that not all the cattle were killed, that some would fall to the floor in a state that greatly resembled and epileptic convulsion” (Kesey 190). The men agreed that they needed an “induced fit” for their patients because, “it was known that men coming out of an epileptic convulsion were inclined to be calmer and more peaceful” (Kesey 190). These men first thought of EST through animals, and because of that sort of “animal experimentation” they devised an effective treatment to use on psychiatric patients at the time. Because of these types of discoveries, people believe that the tests conducted on animals provide more

Then how can animal tests contain accurate results? The answer is simple; they cannot. In modern society there, “are acknowledged inadequacies in the predictive value and evidential height of animal experimentation” (Ferdowsion and Gluck). Knowing this, the logical plan would be to discontinue its use. Scientists found cures for cancer in mice decades ago, yet the distance to a cure for cancer in humans is still far out of reach (PETA). In the past decade. researchers have also developed many alternative methods to animals tests that prove, “cheaper, faster, and more relevant to humans” and that will benefit human health more than, “chasing leads in often inaccurate tests on animals” (PETA). Some of these include computer and mathematical models, human tissue and cell cultures, as well as more intelligent and focused epidemiological and clinical studies. These alternatives to animal testing demonstrate more accurately what happens in the human body (“Animal Testing”). Society must see and understand that the physiological response to drugs between species vary tremendously. For example, Penicillin, a very useful antibiotic, kills guinea pigs, is inactive in rats, but proves beneficial to humans suffering from infection (PETA). Benadryl causes drowsiness in humans but stimulates dogs, giving them more energy. If people based the safety of drugs solely on animal tests, regulations would