The thought of using animals to test various drugs did not come to mind for the United States, until in 1937, when a tragedy occurred. That year, a company called S.E. Massengill developed a drug that was used to treat sore throats. Unfortunately due to the lack of testing, the company did not realize that diethylene glycol, a chemical involved in making the drug, causes kidney failure in high doses. Due to this drug, over 100 people died. After that tragic outcome, this led to animal testing becoming a common practice in the United States. Even though decades have passed, there are still people who argue that animal testing is essential to saving millions of human lives; not even realizing the lack of results, the high cost, and the immortality …show more content…
Another way to test drugs is by integrating human cells with microchips that pump blood through the cell; people call this an ”organ-on-a-chip”, which allows researchers to stimulate human organs. There is already a chip called the “lung-on-a-chip”, and they are currently working on other organs, such as the bone, heart, and the brain. There is even computer simulations to see whether or not certain chemicals are safe. Scientists can use a computer program called Tox21, which is a program that is able to recreate what a chemical would do to the human body by using virtual models (Infobase 3). The morality of animal testing should not even be debatable. It is clear that it’s morally wrong to use animals to test drugs. When Aysha Akhar, a neurologist for the Food and Drug administration, visited an animal testing facility, she stated that “As soon as you walk into a laboratory, you can’t help but notice the rows and rows of barren cages holding sad animals” and that when you look at them in detail, you can see that “their bodies are burned, mutilated, and scarred.” According to studies conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, a condition that’s more discussed about with soldiers who have seen deadly compact, can be exhibited by chimpanzees that