Author claims ‘U’ experiments on animals ineffective

[Guest guest]

story from:

http://www.themichigandaily.com/articles.php?uniqid=20010129n10

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Author claims `U' experiments on animals ineffective

 

by Ahmed Hamid

daily_news_writer

 

Despite the large role animal experimentation plays in medical

research at the University, C. Ray Greek, a scientific advisor for

the National Anti-vivisection Society, argues such research is

ineffective.

 

" Scientifically it is not valid. You cannot extrapolate from one

species to another, " Greek said.

 

Howard Rush, interim director of the University's Unit for Laboratory

Animal Medicine, said the University performs research

on approximately 150,000 animals per year. " Ninety-five percent of the

animals are rats, mice, fish and frogs, " he added.

 

Greek cited various incidents in medical history when the application

of animal data proved futile.

 

" There are far too many examples of good medications like penicillin

that were delayed from release due to harmful effects in

animals, " Greek said.

 

Greek also blamed animal models for delaying the release of the polio

vaccine as well as convincing early medical researchers

that smoking was non-carcinogenic.

 

While Greek finds animal testing to be ineffective, he has no ethical

qualms about using animals in research.

 

" I am not opposed to it. What I am saying is that when the medical

community tells you that we use chimps because they share

99 percent of our genes, I say that is a fallacious argument, " Greek

said. " We share 58 percent of our genes with bananas and

no one is testing heart disease drugs on bananas. Very small

differences in animal systems can be of profound significance. "

 

At a lecture last Thursday sponsored by the Michigan Animal Rights

Society, some audience members expressed skepticism

about Greek's contentions.

 

In the question and answer session following the lecture, one audience

member questioned whether Greek had any statistical

evidence to support his claims, saying he had provided only anecdotal

evidence.

 

" Yes I do, but I changed my slides and won't bother to look for them

right now, " Greek said.

 

Greek mentioned his book " Sacred Cows and Golden Geese – The Human

Cost of Experiments on Animals, " which he

co-authored with his wife, as having " over a thousand references " to

support his point.

 

Greek further said that animal right's activists should not only

" oppose animal experimentation on ethical grounds. "

 

Michigan Animal Rights Society, Kristie Stoick, LSA senior, agreed. " I

think Dr. Greek is right in saying people aren't going to

be reached just by saying animal experimentation is unethical. It is

important to educate people about sound science as well, "

Stoick said.

 

Rush said he sees animal experimentation as a viable research model

among a variety of models.

 

" Any investigator who is doing research is looking for the best model.

You can use a cell culture, organ-culture, computer

simulations, or animals. Animals are just one form of models used in

studying disease, " Rush said.