Animal testing
Animal testing is the use of non-human animals, for purposes of testing chemical and other substances, to determine their safety for use with humans. This topic is mired in controversy, with opponents arguing that we perform animal testing not because we should but because we can [1].There is a contemporary debate regarding animal testing, and its moral implications, as weighed against benefits to humans. Testing advocates in medicine and industry argue that humans maintain an increasedly higher standard of living, as viewed from health concerns, in large part due to advances in health and manufacturing knowledge derived from animal testing. Animal rights activists counter this, saying commercial testing is excessive and unnecessary, often causing a great loss of life for the diminished pursuit of producing non-vital, socially irrelevant products.
The Draize and LD50 tests
The Draize Test, named after FDAtoxicologist John Draize, along with the LD50 are two of the most common animal tests. The Draize Test involves dropping the tested substance directly into an animal's eyes and observing the results. Test subject is commonly an albino rabbit. The other test, the LD50 test, short for "Lethal Dose 50", involves force-feeding a substance to a group of animals until 50% of the group dies, hence the name.
