The ethics of animal experimentation in the field of shock and trauma research.
This is a personal review of the concepts used in deciding ethical questions as to the use of animals in research in the field of shock and trauma. There are for me ethical considerations since I feel animals can and should be used experimentally to advance the cause of the alleviation of pain and suffering amongst severely injured patients. The framework within which such decisions are to be made has been provided for us in Sweden by laws enacted some years ago. Even with ethical review by specially appointed, regional Ethical Committees there still remain problems for the individual research scientist to resolve after the dictates of his own conscience. I operate under the dictum that human life is more valuable than animal life and that I can offer up animal lives to improve the health and welfare of humans. Research in the area of shock and trauma is important, since lives are lost due to our ignorance of many aspects of the pathophysiology of the problem. The injured are often relatively young who can be restored completely to health and gainful employment. The problem is also of interest for the emerging nations of the third world, since it is often their elite who are carried from the scene prematurely. New impetus to research has been provided by the realization that the trauma itself sets in motion events which can add to the final result. Better understanding here should lead to better treatment modalities.
Lewis
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DH
D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D012769:Shock / Q000628:therapy*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*