There is an incredible passage in Scarlett Thomas ’ phantasy novelThe final stage of Mr. Y , where our protagonist learn she can go back in clip by traveling through the minds of science laboratory mice . She jump from present - day mice to their ancestors , propel from one caged fauna to the next , absorbing all their fears , discomfort and painful sensation over the 10 . The surreal prospect manages to capture the existent notion of many people who work with lab animate being , as they try on to reconcile their scientific goals with using live creatures in their work .
As Emma Marris pointed out several year agoin a Nature article , there is a faux melodic theme that scientists who sour with lab animals have no ambivalency or regrets about what they ’re doing . Like farmers , these research worker have to deal with the fact that they are caring for beast who are destined to become food or datum . This is why there arelab veterinarians , whose full job is to ensure that lab beast are care for well and suffer as little as possible . And it ’s why many researchers todaypush to utilize animals as meagerly as possiblein experiment and fieldwork .
Unfortunately the debate over animal inquiry has become so polarized that it ’s hard for citizenry to explain that yes , they approve of this kind of enquiry , but no , they are n’t happy about it and hear to minimize the use of animals . Many scientists sense as if they ca n’t discuss their concerns openly , for fear of being brand animal torturers .
Have you ever worked in a lab with animals ? How did you deal with it ? If you want to reply anonymously , you may make a burner explanation .
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