Animal Experimentation Experimentation upon animals has been around ever since mankind began to dive into their curiosity about the functions of the body. The Greeks were one of the first to detail the cardiopulmonary system, through the use of dissecting and observing animals, and Ibn Zuhr, an Arab scientist during the 10th century, tested and founded specific surgical procedures from the use of performing them first on animals before proceeding to do them on humans (Scutti 1). Centuries after the early Greeks and Arabs, the 20th century saw a major increase of the use of animals. As the popularity and demand of over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs, many drugs were in need to be tested on animals before being distributed to stores worldwide, …show more content…
For instance, many pigs are bred for only the purpose of research because they share a very similar skin and cardiovascular system to that of human beings, which helps scientists to develop heart medicines and treatments for skin diseases. Also, the benefits of these experiments do not only benefit humans, but animals as well, as it helps find medicine and treatment for them too. Alternates, like computer generated models, have been used instead of animals for experimentation before. However, they present a problem, because they only provide informational models of what is known, but much of research and experiments are to solve an unknown. Thus, that is why many researchers use a mouse or chimpanzee as they share more than ninety percent of their DNA with humans. According to the Americans for Medical Progress, they lastly explain in the following that:
“Animal-based research is extremely expensive and it requires a tremendous investment in well-trained people and special facilities. It is also heavily regulated: an institution must spend a significant amount of time and money to ensure that all applicable regulations and guidelines are met. Conducting animal-based research is not something that institutions undertake without a great deal of deliberation and preparation” (Americans