St. Louis University School of Medicine
Patricia Monteleone, M.D., Dean
1402 S. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63104
ph: 314-577-8201; email: montelpl@slu.edu
Dear Dr. Monteleone,
I respectfully ask St. Louis University School of Medicine to terminate old-fashioned pig labs in which students inject pharmaceuticals into anesthetized pigs who are killed after the drill.
The way in which a pig's vessels constrict or dilate in response to a drug varies significantly from the same response in a human. According to Science Journal, a digesting drug is exposed to various body functions that deviate from one species to another. By the time a drug is excreted from a pig, monkey or mouse, it doesn't look anything like the same drug voided from a human. The Science Journal report concludes that drug studies in animals produce results that are unreliable in humans.
Indeed, everything from incision pressure to size, location, texture and elasticity of internal organs varies between pigs and people.
In addition, student researchers cannot separate the effects of stress hormones in animals from the process under analysis. Findings published in Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science (Autumn 2004) reveal animals display quantifiable stress reactions to routine laboratory practices. These stress effects can influence the researcher's understanding of scientific discovery.
Fortunately, most schools have eliminated live animals from their curricula altogether. Innovations in medical simulation technology, computerized programs, manikins and other cost-effective alternatives, increased awareness of ethical concerns, and a growing acknowledgement that medical training must be human-focused have all facilitated this shift.
At Harvard, students accompany surgeons inside operating rooms to obtain firsthand knowledge about human patients. Over 80% of U.S. medical schools have replaced animal experiments with non-animal teaching tools. I urge St. Louis University to join Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, and hundreds of schools that no longer use outmoded animal experiments to train medical students.
Thank you for your valuable time and consideration,
