| IMPORTANT NOTE: This document is reproduced for reference purposes only, it contains false and unsubstantiated claims designed to mislead the public. It MUST be viewed in conjunction with its rebuttal (which can be viewed by selecting this link). |
Wherever possible, researchers try to avoid using animals. This is for humane reasons and because animal testing is generally more expensive than testing methods which don't involve animals.
Cell and tissue cultures, for example, can be used to test medicines or chemicals. They are now also used to make vaccines which once could only be made by using live animals.
But cultures provide only the most preliminary information about the usefulness of medicines, and for many studies there is no choice but to work with whole animals whose bodily functions are similar to ours.
It would be wrong to sell medicines, vaccines and other treatments for human or veterinary use without first testing them on animals. The same goes for chemicals used in food production.
A cell-culture experiment can't tell you the effect of a new medicine or chemical on the function of complex organs like the brain, liver or bone marrow.
In the case of medicines, it also won't tell you how much should be used, how often it should be administered, the likely side-effects of its use, or when these side-effects might occur.
next page >>
<< previous page
Select this link for the rebuttal of this leaflet