Leonard Thompson Biography
We’re Alive, Thanks to… A Dog?!?!
In January of 1922, Dr. John Macleod walked into a small high-ceilinged room surrounded by crisp white walls and a small blue cot. On that cot lay a gaunt-faced young boy named Leonard Thompson. He was barely 14 years old , in a coma, and slowly dying from a previously incurable disease. Macleod had been testing a hormone that could cure this boy and people just like him from their life threatening illness, but had been unsuccessful in finding something that would help. However, today was a very big day. Macleod had finally gotten a pure enough sample of dog insulin that he could give it to this boy.
“Are you ready, Mom?” Dr Macleod inquired, preparing the syringe and slipping a glance at the young boys …show more content…
Slowly but surely, Leo began to blink and then rustle around in his bed. A few hours later he was able to sit up and talk a little to his mother and the doctors. Because of the most generous contribution of a young dog, Leonard Thompson (and millions of diabetics all over the world) is now able to life a healthy and happy life.
Scientists are constantly looking for new medical advances that they hope will save people’s lives and often turn to animals as the optimal resource for testing new ideas and products. These animals range from rats and mice to dogs and monkeys. On top of varying animals, the tests they run fluctuate from simply checking the effectiveness of a medicine already in use to testing an entirely new form of treatment. However, there have beens years of controversy over the morality of using animals as the test subjects.
Many people agree that animals have aided tremendously in the development of new procedures and medicines and it is completely reasonable if done in a respectable …show more content…
We don’t test humans for them! Are their any regulation or can anyone test on anything? Isn’t a clinical trial on human enough to release a new medicine?
In the first place, the research that we gain from testing on animals helps them just as much as it helps the us. According the California Biomedical Research Association, “Animal research has helped develop many animal vaccines to fight diseases such as rabies and distemper in dogs and cats, feline leukemia, infectious hepatitis virus, tetanus, and has assisted in the development of treatments for heartworm.”
Not only does the research that we test on animals benefit humans, but it also really helps boost the world of medicine for the animals. Additionally, some of the medicines that we test for humans can be translated over to animals to help fight against the large number of animals that are dying from disease. Animals are very useful when it comes to research like this because they get to benefit from it to.
And then there are you people from PETA. Yes, you. I’m sure you are just yelling at your computer screen now. “This isn’t fair.” “It is just so cruel!” And all that “SAVE THE ANIMALS!!!” stuff. Well, there are quite a few regulations set up for the animals that scientists use in their
In January of 1922, Dr. John Macleod walked into a small high-ceilinged room surrounded by crisp white walls and a small blue cot. On that cot lay a gaunt-faced young boy named Leonard Thompson. He was barely 14 years old , in a coma, and slowly dying from a previously incurable disease. Macleod had been testing a hormone that could cure this boy and people just like him from their life threatening illness, but had been unsuccessful in finding something that would help. However, today was a very big day. Macleod had finally gotten a pure enough sample of dog insulin that he could give it to this boy.
“Are you ready, Mom?” Dr Macleod inquired, preparing the syringe and slipping a glance at the young boys …show more content…
Slowly but surely, Leo began to blink and then rustle around in his bed. A few hours later he was able to sit up and talk a little to his mother and the doctors. Because of the most generous contribution of a young dog, Leonard Thompson (and millions of diabetics all over the world) is now able to life a healthy and happy life.
Scientists are constantly looking for new medical advances that they hope will save people’s lives and often turn to animals as the optimal resource for testing new ideas and products. These animals range from rats and mice to dogs and monkeys. On top of varying animals, the tests they run fluctuate from simply checking the effectiveness of a medicine already in use to testing an entirely new form of treatment. However, there have beens years of controversy over the morality of using animals as the test subjects.
Many people agree that animals have aided tremendously in the development of new procedures and medicines and it is completely reasonable if done in a respectable …show more content…
We don’t test humans for them! Are their any regulation or can anyone test on anything? Isn’t a clinical trial on human enough to release a new medicine?
In the first place, the research that we gain from testing on animals helps them just as much as it helps the us. According the California Biomedical Research Association, “Animal research has helped develop many animal vaccines to fight diseases such as rabies and distemper in dogs and cats, feline leukemia, infectious hepatitis virus, tetanus, and has assisted in the development of treatments for heartworm.”
Not only does the research that we test on animals benefit humans, but it also really helps boost the world of medicine for the animals. Additionally, some of the medicines that we test for humans can be translated over to animals to help fight against the large number of animals that are dying from disease. Animals are very useful when it comes to research like this because they get to benefit from it to.
And then there are you people from PETA. Yes, you. I’m sure you are just yelling at your computer screen now. “This isn’t fair.” “It is just so cruel!” And all that “SAVE THE ANIMALS!!!” stuff. Well, there are quite a few regulations set up for the animals that scientists use in their