For alternatives to animal testing to really take off, humans need to change their relationship with animals
The use of laboratory animals has improved over the past seventy years, but our attitude towards laboratory animals has not fundamentally changed. This is the conclusion of PhD student Anne van Veen, who has mapped out how animal testing developed in the Netherlands between 1950 and 2020. In order for alternatives to animal testing to really take off, humans must change their relationship with animals, says Van Veen.
Van Veen conducted her research from Utrecht University and previously collaborated with the RIVM National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, where she researched archives about animal experiments. She analyzed which tests were taking place inside and outside the institute, how they were conducted and how scientists are working on alternatives to animal testing. She paid particular attention to the experiences of specific groups of laboratory animals, including monkeys used for polio research. Van Veen presents the results of the research in her proefschrift Of Mice, Monkeys & Better Science, which she defended last Monday in the Academy Building of Utrecht University.
Increase in animal testing
The number of animal experiments increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, as the thesis shows. This was partly due to the growing development of new drugs that had to be tested. There was also more attention for the possible harmfulness of medicines and other substances. Legislation on animal testing did not yet exist, and social criticism was hard to find, also because the many medical breakthroughs at the time had led to a very positive image of science.
Importance of test animal subordinate
The situation of laboratory animals seems to have improved considerably in recent decades. For example, they live in more spacious cages and can count on better treatment, while scientists do their best to develop alternatives to animal testing. If you look at it more fundamentally, very little has actually changed, says Anne van Veen in her dissertation. According to her, people still have the same attitude towards the laboratory animal: it essentially revolves around the interests of the human being, while that of the laboratory animal is secondary. People also believe that it is still up to people to decide the fate of laboratory animals, according to the researcher. “The improvements never went against human interest, because that is still at the top. Animals should not be involved in decision-making.”
Involve animals
Van Veen was surprised that animals are still not given a voice in the debate about the future of laboratory animal use. “A lot of research shows that the dividing line between humans and other animals is not that hard. Within the use of laboratory animals, however, this dividing line has always been maintained. However, other animals can also have forms of language or communication. For people it will be a real search for ways to involve animals in the future of laboratory animal research.”
Alternatives
Van Veen argues that the focus on human well-being stands in the way of major breakthroughs in the search for alternatives to animal testing. According to Van Veen, for the time being, alternatives to animal testing are only embraced if they help science advance, and if human health does not suffer as a result. “That principle is understandable in itself. But it also implies that it’s okay to use lab animals as long as those alternatives aren’t there yet, and as long as we as humans benefit from them.”
Paradox: legitimation through better interaction
According to Van Veen, better handling of laboratory animals leads to a striking paradox. In a sense, improved welfare can legitimize animal testing, says the researcher. “People may think it’s okay to use lab animals because the animals are well cared for. The focus on welfare and alternatives avoids the more fundamental discussions about ethics and power relations between humans and animals.”
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