I just went through my first experience of watching an animal die for science. It was not for this class; it was for physiology with Lin Aanonsen. I'm still not sure how I feel about the whole thing. It was really hard to see those little mice scurrying around in their cage, all the while knowing that soon they were going to be torn apart, and wouldn't even resemble themselves anymore. Their head would be on one side of the tray, their brain on another, and still their open body on another. All in the name of science.
I know animal research is necessary to discover new things about our bodies, and I do think that it is valid. But until I actually was there when it happened I had no idea how hard it would be. I think it's good that it's hard; like Lin said "when it stops being hard you should maybe reconsider your line of work." I think that life needs to be respected, and in the lab ALL life is respected. Even one single neuron is respected; even one single protein.
We are constantly hunting for knowledge, just like a snake would be hunting for a yummy mouse to eat. In the snake's case, everything that can be used is used, and the rest gets recycled into the earth. That is what science tries to do. We use all that we can from that mouse, trying to maximize the amount of information we can get from it, and minimize the number of mice we have to use to get that info. Is their sacrifice just to satisfy our thirst for knowledge? Or is it actually going to help someone down the way? Hopefully it will do both.
I hope that everyone who does research and uses animals in the process, really thinks about that individual life that they are taking control of. Just keep in mind that all living things are connected in some way...