Parkinson’s disease is a relentless, ruthless neurodegenerative disorder that often strikes in the early “golden years”, around 60 years of age, but sometimes much earlier. It progressively robs its victims of every capability that makes life enjoyable, from their ability to move, talk, eat by mouth, and in the worst cases, decreasing their cognitive abilities. … Continue reading Good, bad, useful? Reflections on animal models for Parkinson’s disease research
Tag: animal rights
A Brief History of Deep Brain Stimulation
An on-going campaign against the use non-human primates to study Parkinson's disease (PD) at the University of British Columbia prompted me to summarize some basic facts about the work and the history of a successful therapy was developed. Why is the work done? In the U.S. alone there are between 500,000 and 1 million people living … Continue reading A Brief History of Deep Brain Stimulation
Understanding Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)
Looking through some animal rights websites and forums I see the same misconceptions come up again and again on the subject of animal research. The first questions can be paraphrased thus: "If animal research advances medical science, how come when the animal experiments end and the products go to market, the humans experiments begin?" There … Continue reading Understanding Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)
A welcome end to random-source dog and cat dealers
The National Institutes of Health has announced that starting October 1, 2012, NIH funds may no longer be used to buy cats from Class B dealers. A similar prohibition in the purchase of dogs from Class B dealers takes effect in 2015. Although dogs and cats constitute only small percentage of research animals, they have … Continue reading A welcome end to random-source dog and cat dealers
Pop Quiz!
Take out a piece of paper and a sharpened #2 pencil. Please read carefully the following story and answer all the questions. You have 15 min. One Saturday morning Dr. X was walking her dog thinking about some recent results in her field when it dawned on her that she might actually have the key … Continue reading Pop Quiz!
Do your Share – Animal Research Education
School visits about animal research have usually been the domain of animal rights groups like HSUS and PETA, however a new program is set to challenge that. Scott Dobrin and Elizabeth Burnett, with the support of Americans for Medical Progress' Michael D. Hayre Fellowship, have built a program for schools which aims to address the … Continue reading Do your Share – Animal Research Education
The Freedom of Speech Paradox
The world is a complex mix of competing views. Politicians and pressure groups have fought long and hard to find a balance between the desire for free speech, and the need to limit the voices of extremism and irresponsibility within our communities. Few would condemn the arrest of someone who shouts "fire" in a crowded, … Continue reading The Freedom of Speech Paradox
A Proposal for the Labeling of Medicines
In a recent poll conducted by Zogby, 2,100 adults in the U.S. were asked the following question. Do you agree or disagree with medical and scientific research that requires lab animals? The results showed a similar outcome to that of other recent polls. About 52% of the population approve of animal research in various degrees, about … Continue reading A Proposal for the Labeling of Medicines
Speaking of Research 