Vivisection - what is it?

The article describes what vivisection is, when such operations began for the first time, and why they are needed.

The science

The number of species that inhabit our planet is surprisingly diverse. Even ancient scientists were interested in how the organisms of animals and people are arranged. Due to the limited knowledge and resources, most of their research consisted in studying the structure of internal organs and their purposes. But even in our time, with all the abundance of scientific technology, we know about the structure of biological organisms is far from all. And one of the ways that helps to understand this is vivisection. What kind of method is it, what varieties of it are, we will discuss in this article.

Definition

Vivisection is a surgical operation that is performed on various animals in order to study the functions of their internal organs and the body as a whole. For the first time it is mentioned in historical documents dating from the 2nd century AD. It is also used when it is necessary to check the effect or consequence of the use of some new medications. It is carried out, including, and for educational purposes to demonstrate the structure of the prepared organisms to students of institutes and other specialized educational institutions. This is precisely why vivisection exists. What are these methods, we now know. Similar experiments are being conducted, incidentally, in some schools, and most often the subject of research is an ordinary frog.

Distortion of the concept

Nowadays this concept is often distorted by people who are far from science, calling vivisection any experiments on animals (including those that are performed without surgical intervention in their body), which lead to a disruption of health. For example, testing the toxicity of cosmetics, new medicines, household chemistry, etc. - all this can not be called the term "vivisection". What is it and what is needed, we figured it out.

Public opinion

In a number of developed countries, there are constant social movements that oppose the use of living beings for testing new drugs and methods of treatment in general. As we already know, calling these experiments vivisection is not quite right, nevertheless this word eventually became practically a synonym for something cruel and inhuman.

This is a complex ethical issue, and it is very difficult to relate to it unequivocally. On the one hand, it is inhuman to use living beings, albeit unreasonable, for various experiences. But on the other hand, it is these actions that make it possible to advance science forward, to invent new drugs, antidotes and much more that keeps people alive. And yet vivisection is an autopsy of the whole animal or a smaller surgical intervention in order to study its body, usually under anesthesia, rather than testing and experiments on animals. Confusing these terms is impossible. What is vivisection, we now know.

Restriction of vivisection

It is generally accepted that such zooprotection movements have recently emerged, but this is not entirely true. The first such organization was founded back in 1883 in the United States. The reason for this was the law adopted in England on the protection of animals.

Initially, this movement was only for the limitation of vivisection. However, after several years, his goal changed to complete abolition and the prohibition of such an act as vivisection. What is it, we now know.

And by the way, in France for the ban of such experiments performed by Victor Hugo.

Speaking about our country, in 1977 the law was passed in the USSR according to which it was forbidden to perform autopsies and any other surgical interventions with animal bodies without preliminary anesthesia.

Vivisection. How insects are arranged

In 2012, a documentary science film on television and life of insects appeared on TV screens. With the help of modern research methods and powerful microscopes, the film shows in detail the internal structure of insects, how their organs and other curious facts operate. It is designed for the widest audience and will be of interest even to those who previously had little interest in science.

Vivisection. Synonym

Synonyms for this word is not so much. Dictionaries lead to the following: vivisection, autopsy, operation on the living body.

Experiences

Officially, the possibility of vivisection over people has never even been considered. However, in the history of the world, there are still horrendous cases, all of which occur during the Second World War. This was done by doctors in fascist Germany, using concentration camps as experimental prisoners. At the end of the war, most of these "doctors" appeared as defendants at the Nuremberg trials and received a well-deserved punishment.

Also similar was conducted by the doctors of the special unit "Detachment 731" of the Japanese Imperial Army. They were engaged in the development and methods of conducting bacteriological warfare. And the experimental "material" was also prisoners of war. Vivisection was carried out both over healthy people, and over those who have already experienced bacteriological effects. In addition, Japanese scientists have investigated the effect on people of extremely low and high temperatures. According to testimony, often no anesthesia was used.

Fortunately, in our time such experiments are prohibited by all countries. However, like a number of other, much more humane, but ambiguous from the ethical point of view.

So we have analyzed the meaning of the word "vivisection", what it is and why it is used.