It's strange to me how quickly I become desensitized to something like death. When I first started working as a copyeditor for a laboratory, it bothered me to know that countless (or rather carefully counted and calculated) animal lives were being sacrificed on a daily basis. Reading through documents that read "Examined parameters will include clinical observations, mortality and moribundity checks, body weights (for dose volume determinations), and twice daily colonic body temperature measurements (a.m and p.m)," wasn't so bad. It was the "On Day 2, five animals from each dose group will be sacrificed," and "On Day 10, the remaining five animals from each dose group will be sacrificed," that got to me. Sacrificed. Day after day after day.
And then it was my second week of work, and then my third, and at that point it didn't really bother me any more. "Dogs will be euthanized." "Animals will be sacrificed." "Rats will be terminated." That's just the way it is. The portion of the report labeled "Animal Disposition," does not refer to the personality of one's pet, but rather the disposal of the aforementioned study animals. Sad. But true.
The other day I started wondering if this is the same process that occurred during the holocaust. I don't mean to equate the value of a human life with that of a lab rat, but the desensitization to death, the way that what was once disturbing has become routine, the tattoos and cage numbers, it all seems a bit creepy. But maybe my perspective is being influenced by my reading of the graphic novel Maus in high school; a piece of literature in which the Jews in concentration camps really are depicted as animals of the rodent variety.
Day after day the tests continue. The reports come in flash up on my computer screen. I read them. I edit them. And off they go, evidence of tests that have been run, and animals that have been sacrificed. I keep telling myself this is contributing to science, that it's allowing for less harmful pesticides and safer drugs that may save lives. But once in a while I think I'd rather be ignorant of what it takes for a substance to be FDA approved.
And then it was my second week of work, and then my third, and at that point it didn't really bother me any more. "Dogs will be euthanized." "Animals will be sacrificed." "Rats will be terminated." That's just the way it is. The portion of the report labeled "Animal Disposition," does not refer to the personality of one's pet, but rather the disposal of the aforementioned study animals. Sad. But true.
The other day I started wondering if this is the same process that occurred during the holocaust. I don't mean to equate the value of a human life with that of a lab rat, but the desensitization to death, the way that what was once disturbing has become routine, the tattoos and cage numbers, it all seems a bit creepy. But maybe my perspective is being influenced by my reading of the graphic novel Maus in high school; a piece of literature in which the Jews in concentration camps really are depicted as animals of the rodent variety.
Day after day the tests continue. The reports come in flash up on my computer screen. I read them. I edit them. And off they go, evidence of tests that have been run, and animals that have been sacrificed. I keep telling myself this is contributing to science, that it's allowing for less harmful pesticides and safer drugs that may save lives. But once in a while I think I'd rather be ignorant of what it takes for a substance to be FDA approved.
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