Why Is Animal Testing Important

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Animal Testing
Animal testing has been around for centuries. It was first well recognized in the nineteenth century. Numerous agencies popped up as well as organizations against animal cruelty. Animals are mainly tested to advance knowledge in the medical field and cosmetics. The experiments also teach scientists the behavior of the human body. Compared to medicine, very little animal testing is done for cosmetics. Ninety-five percent of animal research in the United States and Great Britain is done on birds, fish, and mice. Dogs, cats, and primates are less than one percent of animals tested. Around twenty-six million animals are used every year for research (Speaking Of Research). Animals are very useful because of their similar organs. One in one thousand of the
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Alexander Fleming accidentally tested Penicillin on test tubes. He noticed that staphylococcus bacilli, bacteria, would not grow on the tubes. The experiments he later tested were failures because of the lack of their antibiotic properties. He didn’t have an organism to see how it would affect humans. In 1938 Penicillin was injected into two mice. They remained healthy afterwards. Penicillin however was not available for testing until 1940. An experiment done was when eight mice were infected with bacteria. Only four were treated with Penicillin. The four that were treated survived unlike the others. It would seem unreasonable to test animals for medical benefits. A fully grown adult will not need the same amount of treatment compared to a small mouse. However without proof that Penicillin did work it would not have been further studied. A reaction in animals can be the same for humans and make scientists do more research. Another great example of how animal research has benefited the medical field is macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a common case of blindness in adults. It happens when blood vessels over grow behind the retina. A treatment was discovered because of animal