Yes, I realize that animal studies are necessary to move forward in
medicine. My point is that I decided that I personally was not destined
to do this type of work after reacting like I did to the mouse
experiment.
The following quarter I had signed up for some sort of physiology
course. After attending the first day's class, it became apparent that
there would be animal experimentation involved in the course. I
immediately dropped it. I have been none the worse for wear over the
years because of the drop.
I think it is necessary to be realistic with students. However,
photographs are much different than killing an animal before someone's
eyes.
I cannot watch overtly violent films. As my husband loves those
shoot-em-up guy movies, this sometimes restricts what we go to see when
we go out to a movie. He's lived with it for over 25 years, though, so
it can be overcome. I also won't watch movies with torture scenes,
which I guess Silence of the Lambs contains. I told him I don't want
these images permanently etched in my brain. Obviously one can't avoid
all of them. My sister called me on the morning of 9/11 and told me
what was on the TV (I sleep late as I work second shift and don't
usually go to bed till 2). My immediate thought was that I knew I was
going to see awful stuff and I really didn't want to see it. I did turn
on the TV though, as obviously curiosity and the need to know sometimes
wins out, unfortunately.
Judy Dilworth, M.T. (ASCP)
Microbiology
"Larry D. Farrell" wrote:
>> Judy, I am not saying that those procedures were desirable or even necessary, simply
> that they *were* done regularly in years past in standard teaching labs.....
