Animals and Alternatives in Testing History, Science, and Ethics

From The Critics

Reviewer: Randall S. Ott, DVM, MS(University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)
Description: This book was written for individuals concerned about the use of animals in toxicity testing and those who want to understand the scientific status of alternatives.
Purpose: The book was designed to explain the issues and ethical considerations that are linked with the mission of the Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT). The mission of CAAT is to promote and advance the development of alternatives while ensuring that the health and safety of the public are protected.
Audience: This book will be useful to both the scientific community and the general public.
Features: This book is concise, well explained, and should be understandable to a wide audience. The excellent appendixes, glossary, and bibliography make it a "primer" on the subject of animal use in scientific research in general and toxicity testing in particular. There are many in vitro tests that are being used as reduction and refinement alternatives to animal usage. A table listing more than a dozen such tests is presented in a chapter on the potential of in vitro testing. As pointed out, the future of alternatives research lies in proper validation. There is a need to follow a validation plan that will increase the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative technologies.
Assessment: This book presents a concise, well-explained, and understandable overview of animal use in toxicity testing, with an eye to the viability of alternatives.

Randall S. Ott

This book was written for individuals concerned about the use of animals in toxicity testing and those who want to understand the scientific status of alternatives. The book was designed to explain the issues and ethical considerations that are linked with the mission of the Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT). The mission of CAAT is to promote and advance the development of alternatives while ensuring that the health and safety of the public are protected. This book will be useful to both the scientific community and the general public. This book is concise, well explained, and should be understandable to a wide audience. The excellent appendixes, glossary, and bibliography make it a "primer" on the subject of animal use in scientific research in general and toxicity testing in particular. There are many in vitro tests that are being used as reduction and refinement alternatives to animal usage. A table listing more than a dozen such tests is presented in a chapter on the potential of in vitro testing. As pointed out, the future of alternatives research lies in proper validation. There is a need to follow a validation plan that will increase the scientific and regulatory acceptance of alternative technologies. This book presents a concise, well-explained, and understandable overview of animal use in toxicity testing, with an eye to the viability of alternatives.

3 Stars from Doody