The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7188 p325-328
9 March 2002

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Letters to the Editor

Animals in research

What is the justification for the use of chimpanzees?

From Mr M. H. Espley, MRPharmS

Perhaps I could ask a question in response to the article about the use of animals in medical research (PJ, 26 January, p88). Most pharmaceutical companies are multinational corporations and I suspect that much of their research is done outside the United Kingdom. However, what is the justification for the use of about 2,000 chimpanzees imprisoned in laboratories around the world (about 1,500 in the United States) in biomedical research?

Recent evidence has demonstrated in these animals high levels of intelligence and an ability to suffer not only physically but also emotionally. Humans are not the only beings to experience joy, sadness and despair; they are not the only beings to know mental as well as physical suffering. Humans are not so different from the rest of the animal world, and this should lead to a new humility and respect.

Perhaps we should learn from wise men such as Carl Sagan who said: "If chimpanzees have consciousness, if they are capable of abstractions, do they not have what until now has been termed 'human rights'? How smart does a chimpanzee have to be before killing him constitutes murder?"

Similarly, Dr Christian Barnard said: "I had bought two male chimps from a private colony. They had lived next to each other in separate cages for several months before I used one as a donor. When we put him to sleep in his cage in preparation for the operation, he chattered and cried incessantly. We attached no significance to this but it must have made a great impression on his companion ... for when we removed the body to the operating room, the other chimp wept bitterly and was inconsolable for days. The incident made a deep impression upon me. I vowed never again to experiment with such sensitive creatures."

Perhaps the next important stage in this debate would be the removal of section 24, ie, the confidentiality clause, of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which would allow freedom of information on this important subject.

Malcolm H. Espley
Tattenhall, Cheshire

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