title: Introduction: experimenting with animals in the early modern era.
abstract: The aim of this special issue is to address issues surrounding the use of live animals in experimental procedures in the pre-modern era, with a special emphasis on the technical, anatomical, and philosophical sides. Such use raises philosophical, scientific, and ethical questions about the nature of life, the reliability of the knowledge acquired, and animal suffering.
authors.affiliation: Oregon State University, 306 Milam Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331-5104, USA, Anita.guerrini@oregonstate.edu.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.forename: Domenico Bertoloni
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Meli