A penetrating look at the bitter controversy between animal rights
activists and research scientists over the use of monkeys and
chimpanzees in medical research. Given their proven intelligence,
asks the author, can a chimp or monkey "comprehend that it is being
used by another species? It is not a question everyone wants to see
answered." Blum, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the Sacramento Bee
articles that led to this book, acknowledges that in tracing the
history of primate research - and she discusses several horrendous
abuses - any accounting "must include the knowledge gained, the
human lives saved." But some researchers who recognize the animals'
suffering and strive for more humane handling, such as Roger Fouts
at Central Washington University, find themselves ostracized and
refused government funding. Fouts, renowned for his sign language
work with the chimp Washoe, has battled the National Institutes of
Health for years, finally filing suit to challenge its way of
regulating experimental animal facilities. His 1986 visit, along
with famed chimpanzee specialist Jane Goodall, to a notorious
Maryland laboratory conducting AIDS research brought enough
negative publicity to force some changes in the way the animals are
caged. Other researchers, like Tom Gordon, director at Yerkes Field
Station (a "monkey farm" in Georgia), fault both animal activists
"for making the monkeys too human" and scientists for treating them
as mere mechanical objects. Primates' humanlike physiology (a
chimp's DNA is 98.5% identical to a human's) renders them perhaps
indispensable in AIDS research and other crucial medical
experiments. But, as Blum shows, it is their humanlike nature and
their intelligence that give rise to important questions about
ethics and respect for life. As a solution, Blum has nothing better
to offer than a vague suggestion for "education programs" aimed at
reaching a "troubled" middle ground. But she brings the issues into
sharp, disturbing focus. (Kirkus Reviews)
The use of primates in research is an ongoing controversy. We have all benefited from the medical discoveries, yet we have also learned more in recent years about the real intelligence of apes and monkeys. Activists have also uncovered cases of animal cruelty by researchers.
The Monkey Wars assesses the often caustic debate over the use of primates in scientific research, and examines the personalities and issues behind the headlines. The author focuses on researchers forced to conduct their work behind barbed wire and alarm systems, animal rights activists ranging from the moderate AWI Institute to the highly radical ALF, and some of the remarkable chimpanzees involved. The research community and its activist critics are invariably portrayed as rival camps locked in a long, bitter, and seemingly intractable political battle. In reality there are people on both sides willing to accept and work within the complex middle. Deborah Blum gives these people a voice
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
