A Testing Issue (Dr Hadwen Trust)

Member Name: delawney

Product:	Dr Hadwen Trust
Date:	17/04/03 (219 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Support medical research without testing on animals

Disadvantages: Should be more well known!

I, like many others, have spoken out against any kind of animal testing over in Speaker's Corner in the past. Debate rages as to whether human beings are more important than animals, and whether or not animal testing can ever be justified. The use of animal testing for medical research is perhaps the most contentious area. Although personally against animal testing for any reason, I can understand the strong emotions involved when considering this life or death matter for both animals and people.

Which is why it's really good to have a charity like the Dr. Hadwen Trust for Humane Research. The Trust (as I shall call it for the sake of my poor fingers) is a medical research charity. But it only finances research that does not involve the use of animal testing.


*** The Background ***

(I'm not trying to present an argument for or against animal testing here, just giving you an idea of how much of it goes on)

The statistics on animal testing (available on the Trust's website) are horrifying to view. In 2001 there was a stunning 2,622,442 procedures carried out on animals according to Home Office statistics. 1,580 were on cats, 7,945 on dogs and a staggering 3,986
on primates. Other animals used include mice, rabbits, birds and horses. More surprisingly, 15,850 were carried out on amphibians and 171,092 on fish! Given the huge differences between the species, you have to wonder what benefit can really come of this kind of research.

1,551,071 of these tests were carried out without the use of anaesthetic - that's 59%. Despite the ban in this country on cosmetic testing, only 30% of procedures were carried out for what the Home Office call "fundamental research". The majority of this was for cancer research.

I doubt anyone would deny the importance of financing useful research to push forward medical advances and find better ways to treat or even cure the myriad of ho
rrific conditions from which people could suffer. What the Trust argues is that there is a better, more effective way of doing that, and more importantly they put their money where their mouth is and finance such research.


*** So What Are the Alternatives? ***

Non-animal testing techniques are currently at the cutting edge of medical research, and there is a huge variety of techniques available. There's the use of cell cultures, which uses human tissue obtained from biopsies, post-mortems or surgical waste. The use of human tissue is preferable to the use of animals - it avoids possible differences in results between species. There are molecular methods, (which not being sciency I don't fully understand) but apparently this research is being used to understand the biochemistry and genetics underlying various illnesses. Research with simple micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeasr can be employed as an early indicator of chemicals which can be harmful, and has been used to aid research into diabetes. Then there's the use of computer models, population research and volunteer studies.

So what sort of research does the Trust fund? It's current research programme includes research into heart disease, meningitis, lung disease, cancer gene therapy, migraine, skin sensitisation, kidney failure and drug testing.

*** How Can You Support the Dr Hadwen Trust? ***

You can download a word file from their website (or request a form by post) that gives you a variety of easy ways to support the Trust. You can simply make a donation (don't forget to include your Gift Aid statement if you are a UK taxpayer!), you can become a member (£10 a year ordinary membership), you can set up a regular standing order, and you can refer your friends.

Like most charitable organisations these days they have their own catalogue to help raise funds. Whilst I have to confess a lot of this is made up of the tacky
gifts you expect from such catalogues, they do have an unsurpassed collection of yummy vegan chocolates at very reasonable prices - the best place to buy your Booja Boojas! They also offer non-leather footware and vegan toiletries. More importantly, you can now shop online via their website.

*** So Where Can You Find More Information? ***

Simply visit their website at www.drhadwentrust.org.uk.


As a consciencious vegan I feel very uncomfortable about donating to the main medical research charities, knowing they fund animal testing as part of their research. But I very much care about people too, and I want to be able to contribute to medical research. The Trust offers me a way to do this in a manner I feel comfortable with. So much is my respect for this organisation that mr delawney and I have remembered them in our will. But even if you don't have a problem giving to the larger medical research charites, a position I don't agree with but do respect, I would humbly ask you to consider making some contribution to alternative research via the Trust as well.

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