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Facts About Dissection
Problems with DissectionAnimals that are most commonly dissected include frogs, turtles, mice, rats, worms, cats, rabbits, fetal pigs, birds, dogs, and fish. They come from breeding facilities, slaughterhouses, their natural habitats, pet stores, local pounds, and even animal dealers and thieves. Many are killed and "processed" at biological supply companies. Most animals are killed and dissected (cut apart). Others are vivisected (subjected to an invasive procedure while alive) in demonstrations. Animals used for dissection can have a miserable existence in the process of being captured, transported, and ultimately killed.
Environment Dissection is a big business. Every year, more than four million vertebrae animals are killed for dissection. Three million frogs, 99% of those used for dissection ,are taken from the wild each year. One hundred thousand turtles are wild caught each month to replace breeding stock on turtle farms where dissection supply companies get their supply. Many animalsą habitats are decimated and entire ecologies are threatened. Many other animals, such as rats, are bred merely to suffer and then die.
Education Educational curricula should foster environmental stewardship and compassion for life; dissection encourages neither--animal life is devalued and treated as expendable. One of education's most important goals is to instill a sense of compassion and respect for others. Biology courses are intended to expose students to useful concepts and stimulate an interest in the life sciences, but dissection can interfere with these goals. Dissection and other harmful uses of animals undermine these goals because they involve treating animals as disposable objects. A growing number of students at all grade levels are voicing objections to what they see as the unnecessary use of animals in education. Many teachers already allow students the option of performing an alternative to the dissection experiment, respecting their ethical objections to killing animals when other methods of learning exist. Many medical schools, such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, and Columbia Universities, have eliminated the animal laboratories once used for teaching.
Health The hazardous chemicals used to preserve dead animals as specimens threaten both the environment and human health. Formaldehyde, the most widely used preservative, is a suspected carcinogen; it can harm the environment and poses a health risk to students through skin contact or inhalation of fumes. Symptoms of formaldehyde exposure include eye, nose, and throat irritation; a persistent cough; respiratory distress; skin irritation; nausea; headache; and dizziness.
Humane Alternatives to DissectionThese methods have been proven effective in learning a variety of subjects that have traditionally involved harming and/or killing animals and also avoid any direct animal suffering, environmental degradation, health risks, or potential for ethical desensitization.
Observation of Animals Careful observation is the scientist's most basic and important skill, whether in biology or any other discipline. Well-designed observation projects can teach you how to design a study; formulate hypotheses; collect, analyze, and present data; and draw conclusions.
Computer Programs Available programs include simulations of the anatomy and/or physiology of humans, rats, frogs, fetal pigs, sharks, and crayfish and other invertebrates. CD-ROMs and videodiscs can offer still, animated, and live-action images, substantial text, and a soundtrack.
Physiological Self-Study This approach takes advantage of the life processes in which your own body is constantly engaged and allows you to monitor and study noninvasively such phenomena as heart function, respiration, muscle physiology, and blood pressure.
Models Usually made of plastic, models typically have removable, labeled parts that provide high detail and realism. Whereas preserved specimens are usually faded and used only once, models are colored to reflect the appearance of a living organism and can be used year after year.
Videos Videos can provide much the same visual information as an actual specimen. Moreover, the camera can provide perspectives and the narration explain details that dissecting tools cannot.
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