title: [Animal experiments: legal, scientific and ethical aspects].
abstract: Among the legal aspects the following topics are treated: the definitions of an experimental animal, an animal experiment and alternative methods with special reference to the 3 R's (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal experiments); the qualifications, education and training of researchers and animal technicians; the licence for animal experimentation; the control on animal welfare; the origin and identification of experimental animals; statistical data on the number of experimental animals; ethics committees and their structure and functions in The Netherlands and Flanders. Extrapolation, species specificity and variability are the most important scientific limitations of animal experimentation. After a short historical survey on the man-animal relation, the following ethical aspects are discussed: the instrumental versus intrinsic value of an experimental animal; the hybrid status of the animal; the objectives of animal rights movements; the balance between the human benefit of an animal experiment and the discomfort for the animal; the problem of animal rights and animal suffering and pain.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorium voor Fysiologie van de Huisdieren, Faculteit Medische en Farmaceutische Wetenschappen, Universiteit Antwerpen (RUCA).
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Houvenaghel
mesh_terms: D000826:Animal Testing Alternatives / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D000827:Animal Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D006801:Humans