Review by Choice Review
Readers who want a wide view of the ethics of animal research will be disappointed in this book. It is a philosophical discussion about animal research, mostly detached from the everyday realities of the enterprise. The chapter contributors narrow their consideration to biomedical studies, leaving out many other types of investigation. They seem to have a negative view of this area, assuming that researchers are generating pain and suffering in their animals without concern for their welfare. This is news to scientists who struggle with the requirements of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees and Animal Welfare Committees, who routinely answer the requirements of the three R's (reduction, refinement, replacement). In addition, the writers are at times a bit polemic about their opposition; for example, the word "vivisection," used freely, is not descriptive of any scientific procedure. The work does contain some interesting accounts. These include the analysis of animal research's contribution to human health (calculated to be minimal); some discussion of different ethical backgrounds; and the important topic of transgenic animals. The final chapter on the feminist approach discusses the relationship that researchers ought to maintain with their animals--a familiar topic to animal behaviorists and a welcome view of the actual researchers. Summing Up: Recommended. Researchers/faculty and professionals/practitioners. J. A. Mather University of Lethbridge
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
