CP Article

Animal Experiment: To Find A Balance between Science and Ethics

Look back for the past years in my life, the strongest fear was not from a thrill roller coaster, a breath-taking scary movie even a death of love, an earthquake happened just a few miles away but the moment in an anatomy class when I took a scalpel and ended the life of an innocent frog by myself. I could not help to cry when I saw his eyes looking at me and gradually stopped trembling in my hands. The feeling of murdering swallowed me and kept to be my nightmare for weeks. That was the first time I questioned my biology major, questioned the method of science research, questioned the world rule of “superior human being” and questioned the meaning of life. Teaching is only a small part of animal experiment using. Every year, there are about 100 million of vertebrates are used for the purpose of research, such as medical researches or cosmetic testing.

Animal experiment is always a controversial topic. It has to be acknowledged that the importance of animal experiment cannot be completely denied. Thank to the sacrifice of animals, there are thousands of medical researches break through every year. Scientists use vertebrates for new drugs or security testing. They insist that animal experiment is necessary for researches. But according to the statistic from Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), 92 percent of the successful animal-tested drugs do not make through the first phase of clinical trials in human beings. In 2009, approximately 76,000 animals involved in severe pain during the research procedures. Dogs who are usually regarded family members are used specifically for the striking researches with an approximately number of 17 - 22 millions. They are even under unhygienic conditions and some of them die from useless reasons like diseases (Naik Para 6-7). These are heartbreaking facts for not only animal lovers but also for all people that call for animal rights. Are the experiment results worth the lives? Is there any replacement for these inefficient experiments? Is there any measure to reduce the pains and promote the humanism for experiment animals?

Firstly, a great amount of animal experiments can be avoided because they are cruel and unnecessary. For instance, rabbits are in great demand in cosmetic testing especially in those bigwigs. Their ears and eyes are extremely ideal places for the skin care or make-up products testing. Recently, Shiseido became the first Japanese company responded the animal testing regulation in Europe and announced that they would ban animal testing. Cosmetics are not critical areas like medicine. These cruel experiments should be banned. Both of the measurement in Shiseido and Europe enhanced animal protection from unnecessary researches which can be easily replaced by chemical testing or other solutions. So far, a lot of cosmetic companies like Body Shop, Revlon, Chanel and Clinique acclaimed they are “cruelty-free”.

Moreover, animal experiment in teaching can also be reduced. With the anatomy videos, textbooks and numerous teaching methods, the field operation is not necessary for every student. For those who will study accounting or architecture in college, the frog anatomy class in high school was really useless. Even for students majoring in life sciences like me, the death of animal can be also reduced by some teaching method reforming like sharing animals in observation.

Secondly, scientists who are involved in animal experiments should follow the Five Freedom Amendment and Three Rs to protect the animal rights. The Five Freedom Amendment was initialed by British government in 1965 aimed to intensive the farm animal production. It expanded meaning through the following years with the endeavor from animal care organizations all over the world to all animals specially the testing animals. The five freedoms are: freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. These regulations effectively constrain the using of animals. Hygienic shelters, food and water for the animals provide the physical care and the no pain and pressure for them are the concerns about their mental health. Take for an example, some primates like monkeys and chimpanzees actually have high intellective cognition and are able to sense some complex motions. If they are not under proper care, the pressure come along with the experiment would produce severe injury to them.      

Besides, the Three Rs is also served as regulations for animal experiments. It appeals scientist to “reduce” the number of animal used in experiment, “refine” the methodology and “replace” animal experiment with other methods (Doctors and Lawyers for Responsible Medicine, Para 13-15). The promotions of this regulation believe that the animal test cannot be completely abolished; however, an alternative method for animal test and scientific method should be promoted to maximize the value of animal test.  In another words, the result should worth the death. In addition, there should be a fourth R which is the “responsibility”. The scientists need to take responsibility to either the animals or the public. The using of animal should be clear to public.

Human being should not be superior to any other kinds of lives. We do not have the right to arbitrarily manage the lives of the vertebrates. The experiment animals are heroes for human because they sacrifice lives for new drugs or products that are mainly benefit human. Although the animal testing cannot be entirely banned we must do something to ensure their “rights”. Imagine that if mice instead of human are controlling the world, what will we feel if we are treated as low grade experiment animals? How would you feel if the dog used for cosmetic testing is the one that company you for years like a friend? Animals are our friends! To be tested in the cold laboratory should not be their destiny. The attitude of us towards them will change their entire lives.

Reference

Doctors and Lawyers for Responsible Medicine. Alternative Medical Research. 

        December 2001. Web. May 14 2012.

Naik, Abhijit. Animal Experimentation Statistics. Oct. 6 2011. Web. May 14 2012.

Apr.27 Second Source

For my primary source, I found a picture named Ladies with Head-pinned Flowers. This a world-wide famous ancient Chinese lady portrait known for its great art value for the ancient Chinese painting skill and the great meaning for historical researchers. For my second sources, I plan to focus on some journal articles. There are three articles I found very useful for my analytical paper. Two of them provide the ideas about how this picture reveals the life in China and why this picture is so valuable from the view of art. Another one wrote by a modern history researcher indicates the life during the age in the picture. All of them suggest that the picture had complex background and can be analysis from different angles. I will generally explain the first two aspects and concentrate on the last point. The papers are in my computer and I cannot exactly remember their titles.  

Apr.20 Claim vs. Evidence

Evidence and claim should be linked together. Neither one can exist alone. The unsubstantiated assertion is not convincible. Evidence must be provided. Instead of just supporting claim, evidence can speak itself and further developed a claim to make it more accurate. According to the book, evidence should be used to advance claim not just confirm (Stephen 189). However, claim should also be clearly indicated when the evidence occur. A major purpose for analytical writing is to convince. The author should make effort to make people believe and be convinced by the article. The pale theories like claims are not powerful weapons to persuade while evidence can help you proof yourself.

Another key point for using evidence is the context. In chapter 6, Stephen mentions the interpretive context and the plausible interpretations should have suitable curriculum and social context. The interpretation as well as the evidence that supports the claim should occur with right social context in the field of claim and potential readers. All in all, these points teach us to use evidence and claim together and also tell us how to use them properly.

Primary Source

This is a famous drawing from Tang Dynasty in ancient China from about 1,400 years ago. This picture is considered to be high art in nowadays China. The women in the drawing was very accord with the appreciation of beauty and elegant in that age. We can tell the bodies of women in the picture were overweight comparing with the modern Chinese girls. Their eyebrows were painted in a particular way which was very thick and small. They all have heavy hair and tied up. Besides, both of their clothes and gestures were very different from the modern Asian women. The picture does not have a lot of color on its background as well as the women’s cloth. But if you are careful enough, you will find out the cloth were very delicate and the way they drew them make you feel the women are still alive and just standing in front of you.

The women in the picture not only describe the changes during history and times but also indicate the cultural symbol’s differences. The taste of beauty in that time was so different from nowadays. The way that they drawing portraits was also different. Their angles of seeing women and describing women were essential clues for us to analysis the art styles in ancient China. Instead of the distinct description, ancient painters would rather to express in an implicit way and dip inside of the people in picture. Women, who are pursuing beauty for their whole lives, can in some extent represent the appreciation for beauty of the society. It may even reflect the economics changing, the political background and the cultural demands in their time.