Summary Laboratory Animal Science – Func4on B
Lab animals in Flanders – an historical and ethical
perspec4ve
Laboratory animal
• Prehistorical 2mes
– people used animals to look at nature
– Aristotle (384-322 BC)
o Scala naturae
§ From low, simple to high, nearly perfect
§ Introduc2on to the thinking of higher and lower beings = hierarchal
thinking
§ Higer vertebrates versus lower vertebrates
§ Higher step = higher power
– But – Plutarchus (46-120)
o Pythagoras
o Involve animals in ethical considera2ons à they are not less worth than
humans (they are equally)
o Vegetarism
– Galenus (129-216)
o Vivisec2on and dissec2on
o Taboo on using human bodies (but Roman Games)
o Uses monkeys and pigs as proxy for the human body
§ To inves2gate anatomy à pigs are similar to the human anatomy
§ Pigs were dissected while being alive and very aware of this
o Galenus layed the basis à his knowledge prevailed un2l 17th century
• Middle Ages
– Augus2nus Hippo (354-430)
o Natural order added with Angels and God
§ Increase the distance
§ Larger dis2nc2on between the lower level, between animals
§ Animals in the lower level à you could do with them
whatever you wanted to do
§ Foresake animal ins2ncts
o Man to God’s image
o Animals serve man
– No real progress
o Disease = curse
o Cure = faith
à We arrive in the Middle Ages, where Chris2anity dominated everyday life in the
Western world. Following the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, people viewed the world
and recognized a "Natural Order" in nature. At the top stood God, followed by angels
and saints, then humans, birds, fish, and only acer that, land animals. This clearly
indicated that there were different "classes" to which beings belonged, illustra2ng a
hierarchy in which humans were placed above animals.
, This no2on was further reinforced by the Crea2on story, which stated that animals
were created to serve humans. The path to geeng closer to God implied distancing
oneself from the lower realms, which meant renouncing animal ins2ncts and refraining
from forming emo2onal bonds with certain animals.
In short, animals were at the service of humans and belonged to a lower order—
everything was permiged, and everything was allowed.
• Renaissance (14-16th century)
– Revival and cri2cal view on the Ancient 2mes
– Vesalius (1514-1564)
o Corrected Aristotle and Galenus – used human bodies
à to inves2gate the human anatomy (dissected these human bodies) à
compared this to the animal anatomy
– Van Leeuwen
o Inven2on of the microscope
– a different view on the posi2on of man
o People started to look different to bodies and started appriate difference
between humans and animals
– the birth of a more scien2fic approach
• Age of Enlightenment
– Descartes (1596-1650)
o the theory of innate knowledge; all humans were born with knowledge
through the higher power of God
§ combated by philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), an empiricist: all
knowledge is acquired through experience.
o Automata
o ‘Je pense donc je suis
o Importance of ‘reasoning’
§ Animals cannot think, so to Descartes, these animals were less worth
§ Importance of reasoning à animals can’t reason à their
behaviour is automated and based on ins2nct
– Halen
o He measures the blood pressure of the blood of the horse
o The horse is consious
– Industrializa2on
o Less contact with animals
o More 2me.
– Hogarth (1751)
o Four stages of Cruelty
§ The life of a guy is depicted à each panel is a stage of the life of this
man = four stages of cruelty
§ Lec up: children are playing with animals à Not in a healthy
way so there was cruelty
§ Right up: he beat his horse à Animal cruelty, even on larger
animals
§ Lec down: he kills his girlfriend à Cruel on human bodies
§ Right down: He was killed à All the cruelty he had done on
animals and humans was done on him
§ Message of Hogarth: if you don’t have respect for animals, you will also
have no respect for humans
, – Kant (1724-1804)
o Deontology
– Bentham (1748-1832) and Mill
o U2lism à it is the level of suffering whether you can use a living organism or
not
§ If you can suffer then you have to be taken in considera2on
§ You have to limit the suffering and aim for happines
Kant – deontology
• 1742-1804
• Ac2ons that we must take (= du2es) based on reasoning and not considering the outcome or
consequences
• Categorical impera2ve
– Universal (for all and under all circumstances)
– Treat human(ity) as a goal, never as a means
• Only (hu)man
– The ‘reasoning’ is the key that decides what has dignity and what not
o If no dignity or intrinsic value … it may be used (the categorical impera2ve only
applies to those having dignity)
– Tom Regan (see later) = animal-rights ac2vist
“Animals… are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man.” ("Dieren... Zijn er enkel als middel tot een doel. Dat doel
is de mens.")
“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
Bentham & Mill
• 1748-1932
• Sen2ent beings
– ‘The ques2on is not Can they reason, nor Can they talk, but Can they suffer …’
o Suffering should be limited
o these that can suffer, are sen2ent beings à A being that can suffer, that can
be happy is a being that we should take in considera2on
• Greatest happiness principle – u2lism (u2litarisme)
– Reasoning is less important than happiness à Agrees to the use of animals as long as
the suffering is exceeded by the benefit for man
– Considers the consequences of ac2ons (ßà Kant)
o Harm benefit analysis should be done
o We s2ll try to maximise happiness
• Miminum amount of animals and minimal amount of suffering
• Calculus
– Everybody to count for one, nobody to count for more than one.
• Agrees to the use of animals as long as the suffering is exceeded by the benefit for man
Modern 2mes
• Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
– Origin of Species > Scala naturae
o We are related with animals, there is no big dis2nc2on between animals and
humans
– Start of zoocentrism
, • Claude Bernard (1813-1878)
– Assistant of Magendie
– Founda2on of animal experiments (should be properly controlled) – first test in
animals (humanist)
• Anesthesia (1846)
UK: Cruelty against animals act (1867)
• Cruel treatment of Cagle Act (°1822)
• Cruelty against Against Animals Act (°1835)
– Ao reac2on against Magendie (France) vivisec2on ….
• Animal research
– Prosecu2on is possible
– Vertebrates
– Anesthesia
– Use only 1 x
– Kill immediately acer the experiment to reduce the suffering
– Only when necessary to advance human health
• UK: first law was wrigen
– In Belgium at that 2me nothing
– First legisla2on in which animal research is men2oned
o You should prac2ce anesthesia
o Kill animal immedialtly acer experiment
o You can only use an animal once
o …
• à The Act s2pulated that researchers would be prosecuted for cruelty, unless they conformed
to its provisions, which required that an experiment involving the inflic2on of pain upon
animals to only be conducted when "the proposed experiments are absolutely necessary for
the due instruc2on of the persons [so they may go on to use the instruc2on] to save or prolong
human life".
• Furthermore, the Act stated that should the experiment occur, the animal must be
anaesthe2zed, used only once (though several procedures regarded as part of the same
experiment were permiged), and killed as soon as the study was over. Prosecu2ons under the
Act could be made only with the approval of the Secretary of State. The Act was applicable to
vertebrate animals only.
Meanwhile in Belgium/Flanders?
• Influence and input from scien2st predominantly from Germany
– E. Kant
– ‘all animals exist only as a means and not for their own sakes …’
• Catholic tradi2on (ßà in UK protestants)
• Strafwetboek 1867 (possession)
• No specifica2on of laboratory animals or animal experimenta2on
Modern Ages (1750-1950)
• Rise in animal experiments
– Infec2ons
o Pasteur (ao. Rabies à research of rabies on dogs and rabbits)
§ He introduced humane end points
à Animal is suffering too much so you will stop the suffering either by
stopping the experiment or killing the animal
o Koch (postulates)
Lab animals in Flanders – an historical and ethical
perspec4ve
Laboratory animal
• Prehistorical 2mes
– people used animals to look at nature
– Aristotle (384-322 BC)
o Scala naturae
§ From low, simple to high, nearly perfect
§ Introduc2on to the thinking of higher and lower beings = hierarchal
thinking
§ Higer vertebrates versus lower vertebrates
§ Higher step = higher power
– But – Plutarchus (46-120)
o Pythagoras
o Involve animals in ethical considera2ons à they are not less worth than
humans (they are equally)
o Vegetarism
– Galenus (129-216)
o Vivisec2on and dissec2on
o Taboo on using human bodies (but Roman Games)
o Uses monkeys and pigs as proxy for the human body
§ To inves2gate anatomy à pigs are similar to the human anatomy
§ Pigs were dissected while being alive and very aware of this
o Galenus layed the basis à his knowledge prevailed un2l 17th century
• Middle Ages
– Augus2nus Hippo (354-430)
o Natural order added with Angels and God
§ Increase the distance
§ Larger dis2nc2on between the lower level, between animals
§ Animals in the lower level à you could do with them
whatever you wanted to do
§ Foresake animal ins2ncts
o Man to God’s image
o Animals serve man
– No real progress
o Disease = curse
o Cure = faith
à We arrive in the Middle Ages, where Chris2anity dominated everyday life in the
Western world. Following the teachings of Thomas Aquinas, people viewed the world
and recognized a "Natural Order" in nature. At the top stood God, followed by angels
and saints, then humans, birds, fish, and only acer that, land animals. This clearly
indicated that there were different "classes" to which beings belonged, illustra2ng a
hierarchy in which humans were placed above animals.
, This no2on was further reinforced by the Crea2on story, which stated that animals
were created to serve humans. The path to geeng closer to God implied distancing
oneself from the lower realms, which meant renouncing animal ins2ncts and refraining
from forming emo2onal bonds with certain animals.
In short, animals were at the service of humans and belonged to a lower order—
everything was permiged, and everything was allowed.
• Renaissance (14-16th century)
– Revival and cri2cal view on the Ancient 2mes
– Vesalius (1514-1564)
o Corrected Aristotle and Galenus – used human bodies
à to inves2gate the human anatomy (dissected these human bodies) à
compared this to the animal anatomy
– Van Leeuwen
o Inven2on of the microscope
– a different view on the posi2on of man
o People started to look different to bodies and started appriate difference
between humans and animals
– the birth of a more scien2fic approach
• Age of Enlightenment
– Descartes (1596-1650)
o the theory of innate knowledge; all humans were born with knowledge
through the higher power of God
§ combated by philosopher John Locke (1632–1704), an empiricist: all
knowledge is acquired through experience.
o Automata
o ‘Je pense donc je suis
o Importance of ‘reasoning’
§ Animals cannot think, so to Descartes, these animals were less worth
§ Importance of reasoning à animals can’t reason à their
behaviour is automated and based on ins2nct
– Halen
o He measures the blood pressure of the blood of the horse
o The horse is consious
– Industrializa2on
o Less contact with animals
o More 2me.
– Hogarth (1751)
o Four stages of Cruelty
§ The life of a guy is depicted à each panel is a stage of the life of this
man = four stages of cruelty
§ Lec up: children are playing with animals à Not in a healthy
way so there was cruelty
§ Right up: he beat his horse à Animal cruelty, even on larger
animals
§ Lec down: he kills his girlfriend à Cruel on human bodies
§ Right down: He was killed à All the cruelty he had done on
animals and humans was done on him
§ Message of Hogarth: if you don’t have respect for animals, you will also
have no respect for humans
, – Kant (1724-1804)
o Deontology
– Bentham (1748-1832) and Mill
o U2lism à it is the level of suffering whether you can use a living organism or
not
§ If you can suffer then you have to be taken in considera2on
§ You have to limit the suffering and aim for happines
Kant – deontology
• 1742-1804
• Ac2ons that we must take (= du2es) based on reasoning and not considering the outcome or
consequences
• Categorical impera2ve
– Universal (for all and under all circumstances)
– Treat human(ity) as a goal, never as a means
• Only (hu)man
– The ‘reasoning’ is the key that decides what has dignity and what not
o If no dignity or intrinsic value … it may be used (the categorical impera2ve only
applies to those having dignity)
– Tom Regan (see later) = animal-rights ac2vist
“Animals… are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man.” ("Dieren... Zijn er enkel als middel tot een doel. Dat doel
is de mens.")
“We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”
Bentham & Mill
• 1748-1932
• Sen2ent beings
– ‘The ques2on is not Can they reason, nor Can they talk, but Can they suffer …’
o Suffering should be limited
o these that can suffer, are sen2ent beings à A being that can suffer, that can
be happy is a being that we should take in considera2on
• Greatest happiness principle – u2lism (u2litarisme)
– Reasoning is less important than happiness à Agrees to the use of animals as long as
the suffering is exceeded by the benefit for man
– Considers the consequences of ac2ons (ßà Kant)
o Harm benefit analysis should be done
o We s2ll try to maximise happiness
• Miminum amount of animals and minimal amount of suffering
• Calculus
– Everybody to count for one, nobody to count for more than one.
• Agrees to the use of animals as long as the suffering is exceeded by the benefit for man
Modern 2mes
• Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
– Origin of Species > Scala naturae
o We are related with animals, there is no big dis2nc2on between animals and
humans
– Start of zoocentrism
, • Claude Bernard (1813-1878)
– Assistant of Magendie
– Founda2on of animal experiments (should be properly controlled) – first test in
animals (humanist)
• Anesthesia (1846)
UK: Cruelty against animals act (1867)
• Cruel treatment of Cagle Act (°1822)
• Cruelty against Against Animals Act (°1835)
– Ao reac2on against Magendie (France) vivisec2on ….
• Animal research
– Prosecu2on is possible
– Vertebrates
– Anesthesia
– Use only 1 x
– Kill immediately acer the experiment to reduce the suffering
– Only when necessary to advance human health
• UK: first law was wrigen
– In Belgium at that 2me nothing
– First legisla2on in which animal research is men2oned
o You should prac2ce anesthesia
o Kill animal immedialtly acer experiment
o You can only use an animal once
o …
• à The Act s2pulated that researchers would be prosecuted for cruelty, unless they conformed
to its provisions, which required that an experiment involving the inflic2on of pain upon
animals to only be conducted when "the proposed experiments are absolutely necessary for
the due instruc2on of the persons [so they may go on to use the instruc2on] to save or prolong
human life".
• Furthermore, the Act stated that should the experiment occur, the animal must be
anaesthe2zed, used only once (though several procedures regarded as part of the same
experiment were permiged), and killed as soon as the study was over. Prosecu2ons under the
Act could be made only with the approval of the Secretary of State. The Act was applicable to
vertebrate animals only.
Meanwhile in Belgium/Flanders?
• Influence and input from scien2st predominantly from Germany
– E. Kant
– ‘all animals exist only as a means and not for their own sakes …’
• Catholic tradi2on (ßà in UK protestants)
• Strafwetboek 1867 (possession)
• No specifica2on of laboratory animals or animal experimenta2on
Modern Ages (1750-1950)
• Rise in animal experiments
– Infec2ons
o Pasteur (ao. Rabies à research of rabies on dogs and rabbits)
§ He introduced humane end points
à Animal is suffering too much so you will stop the suffering either by
stopping the experiment or killing the animal
o Koch (postulates)
