A Good Example of Why Animal Research is Important
Botox has been out for a long time, but it might need another look as to its safety thanks to a study done in rats on a related substance. From the story:
Botulinum neurotoxin type A, sold as Allergan Inc.'s Botox remedy for wrinkles, can move from its injection site to the brain, a study shows.Scientists injected rats' whisker muscles with botulism toxin. Tests of the rodents' brain tissue found that botulism had been transported to the brain stems, the researchers said in the Journal of Neuroscience published April 2.
Botox is Allergan's biggest product, with $1.21 billion in sales last year. The drug, approved in 1989, became fashionable among aging celebrities seeking to smooth facial wrinkles and is used to treat some neurological disorders. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether patients contracted botulism, a muscle-weakening illness, from Botox and Myobloc, a product from Solstice Neurosciences Inc.
Animal rights advocates often say that animal work does not provide benefits because there isn't a direct correlation between how an animal reacts to that of a human. But that isn't the point since animal studies are not expected to show direct correlations but propensities. Thus, studies like this are important because they show a possible problem that can't be studied in humans in the same way. For example, based on this, scientists may wish to test it in monkeys, which are more similar. And indeed, some of that work has already been done:
Rats and monkeys are dying to keep people from suffering severe potential health consequences. This is the kind of thing animal rightists want to shut down. But these studies need living organisms to produce results. That means either animals or humans, and you can't do it to us because the subjects have to be killed so their brains can be studied. At least, that is what people who don't believe in animal rights believe. Ingrid Newkirk, on the other hand, believes that a rat, is a pig, is a dog, is a boy.Myobloc is botulinum neurotoxin type B, a different type of botulinum than studied, said Edgar Salazar-Grueso, chief medical officer of Solstice Neurosciences, in a telephone interview today.
"We are aware from monkey studies already published that toxin A migrates more than B,'' Salazar said. "Monkeys are more like humans than rodents, so these findings we're observing are consistent.''
Labels: Animal Research
posted by Wesley J. Smith @ 8:04 PM
16 Comments
16 Comments:
It's important to make animals suffer so vain people can have fewer wrinkles?
animallover22: Thanks for stopping by.
Botox type products have medical uses as well as cosmetics. But I think you are willfully overlooking the bigger point: Contrary to animal rights propaganda, animal research is a crucial tool in protecting and promoting human health and welfare.
What other medical uses does it have? I find it disturbing that so many people are willing to have something injected into themselves when the word "neurotoxin" is part of the name. People are crazy!
I'm not against animal testing, I just think drugs get approved way too easily in this country. If anything we need much more animal testing.
I'm with you animallover22. I think making animals suffer so vain people can have fewer wrinkles is the bigger point and one reason we are spiraling down the road to damnation.
I am not a fan of cosmetic surgery of any kind. But Botox has been used as a treatment for headaches, to ease the symptoms of enlarged prostate, and is in medical trials for other conditions as well, including alleviating symptoms of cerebral palsy.
If you could end the possible horrific results from injecting botox into the faces of people who want to control their wrinkles by first testing the substance on mentally handicapped human infants wouldn't that be ok? Because then...If it were harmful to those retarded humans than you would know exactly without question what the scientific results would be and many worth while humans would be saved and only retarded babies would have to be sacrificed. There are probably enough unwanted and orphaned mentally challenged babies around in the USA to do the necessary trials on. I'm not against any medical scientific testing either.But I just want the correct and most precise results to save the fully developed worth while productive humans...they count more and are more valuable to this world than the retarded ones.
Philip: Thanks for dropping by. Of course it wouldn't be okay to use humans. Indeed, this blog is dedicated to human exceptionalism, and human rights.
Your concept of "more precise and correct results" is ludicrous. The way scientists try to get there is through animal research, such as basic work and early testing. Animal rights believers thus play a game of make believe by pretending that animals don't give us precision, and thus are no good for research. The contrary is true: Animals give us basic knowledge that helps us find greater precision. You can't have one without the other.
Animals are not morally equal to people. If you believe they are, then your comment is right. If you don't believe they are, your comment is wrong.
Why are non human animals not morally equal to humans?
I;ve written about that a lot and you can look it up. Why in the world would they be?
Considering I don't know what you mean by "morally" because everyone has a different opion of what that definition is....I guess than...at this point...my comment is right.
Moral worth means its value and significance in the scheme of things. Is the life of a squirrel, say, as important as the life of a human?
In the value and significance in the scheme of things.. the life of the squirrel is more important to THAT squirrel than the life of any human. Whether you agree who is more important or not is irrelevant.
In the scheme of things...bacteria is more important to the world than humans. Without bacteria...the world would not even be able to continue. However without humans on this planet...the planet would be just fine without us. In your line of thinking adding value and significance to ONLY humans is based on a limited false illusion of the world-and the universe we live in. In the (big) scheme of things (and I mean BIG) we are no different than all the other animals. We are born, seek mates, forage for food and yes, die. That is all. No different than any other animal. You falsly believe that there is more importance in a human being lets say who for example, everyday spends time buying and selling stocks on Wall street or a squirrel searching for and collecting food and then storing it for his/her family. To the universe and the world what is the difference? NOTHING!
In the scheme of things humans THINK we are different more important but in REALITY we are not. If you attach importance and significance to over populating and eventually destroying our own species well you may have a point there.
And once again, the misanthropy of animal rights is revealed.
You are right the squirrel's life is more important to any human life to the squirrel, and in fact, the squirrel is oblivious to us. Our lives should be more important to us than the squirrel.
Moreover, only the human species is even able to perceive, comprehend, or care about the issues which you raised.
The earth could go on without us, but what difference would it make since there would be no species that could even appreciate its existence, only live lives of Darwinian tooth and claw.
Only humans would save sick seals. Every other species would either ignore them or kill and eat them.
Ignoring the seals would be a great virtue that most species except our own would probably do. Polar bears (eskimos as well) do not have the choice....yet no other species would ever kill 250,000 baby seals with clubs for the reasons we honorable humans do. The fact that you used the seal example tells me you are either ironic or ignorant of what humans do with seals. Humans do not NEED baby seal fur to survive and the tooth and claw is a metaphor in which I think we humans live by at least with that example more so than the other animals of this planet. The same species that takes care of a sick seal also commits genocide in Darfur and else where. The same species that creates new anti wrinkle solutions also hijacks airplanes and use them as weapons against innocent civilians. That is some real tooth and claw. You also ignore the incredible love and affection animals exhibit for one another in the wild as well as toward the humans who commit horrible cruelty against them. Are you kidding with the appreciation coment? As if that has anything whatsoever to do with the significance and or the importance of life on this planet. There was significant life here for millions upon millions of years before we came along. I think building and appreciating skyscrapers are only important to humans....however very irrelevant and un important to the millions of other species on this planet. Especially when we are no longer here...which is not mysanthropy only reality. One day we will be gone and the earth will not only forget us but will be just fine. And our appreciation is what.....poisoning where we live...???????
We are the ONLY species btw...that destroys the very ecosystem in which we live in.
If someone believes human life is worth more than other animal life because humans are more complex and more intelligent, then he must feel that a human who is a genius is worth more than a deaf-mute mentally retarded human.
Otherwise, he is a hypocrite.
finkfunk: Thanks for commenting. You may think a squirrel has the same moral value as you do, but I don't. I think much more highly of you.
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