Without the preclinical testing in animals, either the lives of human subjects would be endangered or technological breakthroughs such as these may be missed altogether. Laboratory animals also have significant value in medical training. Although most medical organizations and educational institutions support the use of non-animal alternatives in cases where animal training isn t absolutely necessary, there, nevertheless, exist instances where the animal trials are necessary for the thorough education of tomorrow s doctors and scientists. The students felt that hands-on studies using dogs helped them understand the actions of drugs, and did not involve an immoral use of animals. Since other methods of training aren t as successful, the success of tomorrow s physicians, surgeons, and medical biologists depends on the use of animals in their education.
Animal research is also essential to the development of new surgical procedures.
As with medical devices, most new surgical procedures need preclinical testing on animals before being performed on humans . Nobel prizes were awarded in 1912 for surgical advances in the suture and grafting of blood vessels, and in 1990 for organ transplantation techniques both of which used testing on dogs . Animal testing was also necessary for the development of modern surgical prostheses and artificial limbs. Animal testing in surgical procedures has improved the quality of, and also saved thousands of lives. The most prominent area in which animal research is indispensable is in the ceaseless search for new medicines and vaccines.