Jainism and Animal Issues 1997

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 34

Jainism and Animal Issues
Results of Animal Experimentations are Questionable
Animal testing is a phrase which many people seem to have fixed in their minds when it comes to medicine. It is not necessary to test drugs on animals and in some instances it can be extremely dangerous. Animals for the most part have very different biological systems than humans. Different species of animals have different metabolisms among themselves.
consumed quickly, but was harmful and possibly deadly if they did not metabolize it in a proper amount of time. Eraldin for treating heart disease caused serious eye problems, including blindness. The antibiotic Chloramphenicol lead to fatal blood disorders in humans. Anti-inflammatory Ibufenac for arthritis caused lever damage in humans. The list goes on. In fact, so many of the drugs previously approved are recalled.... It might be ok to just flip a coin!
An LD-50 test was done to see the effects of a dioxin on various animals. The results were astonishing. According to the American Anti-Vivisection Society's findings, the amount of the dioxin it took to kill a guinea pig was 1 mcg/kg, a hamster was 5,000 mcg/kg, a female rat was 45 mcg/kg, and a male rat was 22 mcg/kg. The range of these numbers is huge, even within similar sized and shaped animals, and is called species differentiation. From these numbers can you predict, how much dioxin YOU could probably tolerate?
Take a few examples, in which animal experiments failed to predict serious problems for humans. According to Lady Dowdling Foundation's findings in England, Opren for arthritis caused death in humans because they could not metabolize the drug as quickly as animals did. The medicine worked beautifully on rats, with no harmful side effects; however, when they released it into the market, almost 50% of the consumers either died or suffered severe harmful side effects. The reason being quite simple: the metabolism of the elderly is quite lower than that of a rat. The drug was not toxic if
The Ames Test: This test uses bacteria to detect mutagens (chemicals that induce genetic mutations). Because mutations are often associated with the development of cancer, the Ames Test is used as a screen for carcinogenicity. This test takes only a few days to perform and costs only a few hundred dollars.
Audiovisual Guides and Aids: These offer the advantage of repeated viewing, and allow the viewer to study procedures on human patients instead of animals.
Cruelty-Free Research and Testing
Many people wonder, what we can do, if we do not test new products on animals. They wonder, if we should make human guinea pigs. But no, we do not need to feel helpless. As listed later in this booklet, there are more than 150 companies, which manufacture products without animal testing. You may question, what are the non-animal alternatives and methods in their research and testing? Below is a partial list of the non-animal research methods available now, and more are being developed everyday.
Bacteria Cultures and Protozoan Studies: Protozoa have a similar chemistry to that of humans, and are useful in many areas of research.
The Chorioallantoic Membrane (CAM) Test: The CAM test utilizes membranes from chicken eggs to evaluate toxicity and is a prominent alternative to the Draize test. This procedure causes no pain.
Computer-Assisted Drug Design: This drug development strategy utilizes three-dimensional graphics and quantum pharmacology based on the "lock-and-key" mechanism of drug action.
Computer Simulations: Both time and cost-efficient in their ability to screen out potentially harmful substances in early testing stages, computer simulations provide considerable information not obtainable from experiments using live animals.
Opposite to the above example is the drug penicillin. Penicillin is fatal to guinea pigs, but has wonderful effects on humans. Fortunately, in those earlier days, there was no animal testing. Otherwise, we would have immediately discarded it as a "dangerous" medicine! Another such example is 6-Azauridine used for cancer therapy, that has lethal side effects on dogs. Similarly, Digitalis for heart disease, quinine for malaria, and anesthetics were discovered through observation and clinical trials on human patients. Other such drugs are Dramamine for motion sickness, Cortisone to relieve arthritis, Chlorpromazine as tranquilizers, etc.
All these examples prove beyond a doubt, that animal testing is not only useless, but it is also hindering progress. As Jains, let us break barriers, and use alternatives.
Narendra Sheth
Gas Chromatology and Mass Spectrometry: These techniques are used in identifying drugs and chemical substances through the study of chemical and drug activity at the molecular level.
Genetic Engineering: This new technology is now being used to produce an improved, purer type insulin. Growth hormone and interferon can also be produced through this same method.
Human Studies: Clinical-These involve the study of sick or injured patients, incorporating healthy volunteers as controls. Epidemiological These studies analyze information on large numbers of people to uncover potential relationships between the incidence of disease or injury and people's habits or environments. Post Mortem - These involve the study of cadavers donated to science. These studies are particularly useful in anatomical and transplant research. Cadavers are also sources of transplantable organs.
Imaging Techniques: These methods generate visual images of body's interior, without the need for invasive procedures, and are now being used to study the human brain in action. One such technique, positron emission topography (PET), utilizes tiny amounts of radioactive chemicals to mark areas of interest in the brain. PET has recently been applied in the study of Parkinson's Disease.
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