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The animal rights and antivivisectionist advocates have historically chosen nonhuman primates as a favorite cause celébre. Many sit-ins, demonstrations, and raids on laboratories have been directed at research facilities using primates. Animal activists argue that since apes and monkeys are man's closest related species, they should not be used in research. Scientists argue this very factor -- similarity to man -- makes apes and monkeys invaluable to research. Chimpanzees and other apes have strong similarities to man in their immune systems, susceptibility to diseases, intelligence, cognitive skills and social organization. These qualities have led to a great number of medical breakthroughs. |
Everyone, in one way or another, has been effected by the development of the polio vaccine. In 1954, nearly 60,000 new cases polio were reported in the United States alone. By 1984, the number dropped to four!
But this vaccine could never have been developed without the use of primates. In fact, they played three distinct roles.
First, it was research on primates that led science to discover polio was caused by a virus. This was proven by isolating the suspected virus and injecting it into primates to see if they would contract the disease (man and other primates are the only animals which develop polio). Second, once the vaccine was developed, it was tested for safety and effectiveness on primates. And third, to produce the vaccine in pure form and in great quantities, it is necessary to use kidney tissue taken from primates.
Rhesus monkeys and chimpanzees were used to develop a vaccine for Hepatitis B. Treatment of this disease is estimated to directly and indirectly cost millions of dollars annually in this country alone.
Many advancements in controlling high blood pressure have relied on research involving nonhuman primates. This is because the hormones controlling blood pressure are identical in man and other primates, in contrast to other animals in which they are dissimilar.
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Rhesus monkeys have contributed a great deal to the understanding and treatment of Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's can be closely stimulated in rhesus monkeys, making them instrumental in the development and implantation of dopamine-producing tissues into the brains of Parkinson's patients. They are also effective in the testing of new drugs being used to control symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Research done with primates has led to the discovery that the vision system is not fully developed in infants and without visual stimulation from both eyes, the portion of the brain which coordinates and processes vision will not mature and develop normally. As a result, physicians now know that children with congenital cataracts and "lazy eye" must be treated at an early age in order to prevent permanent damage to this portion of the brain. These are but a few of the important contributions nonhuman primates have made to medical science. |
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Chimpanzees have also been important in behavioral research. Researchers have been successful in teaching chimpanzees to communicate by using geometric symbols to represent words. The development of this "language" is now being used by severely retarded humans, enabling them to communicate with their world.
Today, primates are being used in numerous studies which show promise to further improve the quality of our lives - and in some cases, such as AIDS research, they offer us the most precious promise of all -- hope for life itself.
iiFARsighted Report, Fall 1993, vol. 7(10)
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