Medical Testing on Animals Medical testing on animals is a highly controversial topic that touches the lives of nearly every individual, whether they realize it or not. 16 million people with diabetes are enjoying lives they otherwise wouldn't have had if it weren't for dogs, rabbits and fish who have undergone testing to help scientists discover treatments and produce insulin. Cardiovascular disease tops the list of American causes of death. The procedures used to treat this disease, such as surgical techniques and therapeutic drugs, required the use of animal testing. These are just two examples. Any major medical advance throughout history has most likely involved animal testing as a necessity. There are many pros and cons to using animals for medical research, and many people have very different opinions on the treatment of animals. Some have the best interests of animals at heart and do not agree with any pain and suffering inflicted on them, no matter what is at stake. Others argue that we must respect animals but we must think about the well-being of humans first. There are those who don't care about the consequences caused by animal testing. It's an important ethical question that everyone should form an opinion on. My first negative experience with laboratory animals was in an undergraduate human physiology course. We learned the differences between the decentralized nervous system of amphibians and the centralized system of mammals by sacrificing the basic frog. The procedure involved decapitating the frog with a pair of scissors. No, there was no anesthesia involved. The frogs went from alive to headless in an instant of decapatron 2000. As if it were a joke, we had to demonstrate the frog's loss of balance and inability to swim because... middle of paper... .treatments. The results of this study were obtained entirely with the use of lung tissue cultures from human cell washes. These are just a few examples of the wide variety of techniques used to experiment without animals. The progress of alternative methods is growing every day. Animal testing has brought some very important medical techniques and products within our reach. However, there are many pros and cons and the topic will continue to be sensitive. We as humans have a responsibility to respect and protect animals and others. Think about your family pet. Animals have personalities and feelings. Think about your loved ones. Humans need medical care to survive. This is a difficult question to make decisions about. Human health is important, but we must strive to establish ways to improve it without involving defenseless animals.