National Academies Press: OpenBook

Science, Medicine, and Animals (2004)

Chapter: Surgical Advancements

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Suggested Citation:"Surgical Advancements." National Research Council. 2004. Science, Medicine, and Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10733.
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SURGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

Though animal research has helped to develop drugs and vaccines to control and cure many infectious diseases, many surgical procedures were and continue to be developed through the use of animal models. Organ transplantation, open heart surgery, and many other common procedures were developed using animal models.

Animal research was essential in developing many life-saving surgical procedures once thought impossible. Heart valve replacement is now a common procedure, and development of these artificial heart valves as well as the artificial hearts now being tested in people would not have been possible without animal research. Organ transplants and coronary artery bypasses require that blood vessels be sewn together. The technique of sewing blood vessels together was developed through surgeries on dogs and cats by Alexis Carrel, for which he was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1912. Research on laboratory animals also led to the understanding of organ rejection and how to overcome it.

Suggested Citation:"Surgical Advancements." National Research Council. 2004. Science, Medicine, and Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/10733.
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Science, Medicine, and Animals explains the role that animals play in biomedical research and the ways in which scientists, governments, and citizens have tried to balance the experimental use of animals with a concern for all living creatures. An accompanying Teacher’s Guide is available to help teachers of middle and high school students use Science, Medicine, and Animals in the classroom. As students examine the issues in Science, Medicine, and Animals, they will gain a greater understanding of the goals of biomedical research and the real-world practice of the scientific method in general.

Science, Medicine, and Animals and the Teacher's Guide were written by the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research and published by the National Research Council of the National Academies. The report was reviewed by a committee made up of experts and scholars with diverse perspectives, including members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institutes of Health, the Humane Society of the United States, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Teacher’s Guide was reviewed by members of the National Academies’ Teacher Associates Network.

Science, Medicine, and Animals is recommended by the National Science Teacher's Association.

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