A SUPPORT LABORATORY 
FOR A MEDICAL SCHOOL ANIMAL RESEARCH FACILITY 
Ward R. Richter* 
Concurrent with the development of medical research 
and the use of large numbers of laboratory animals in 
research, a need for improved animal resources has 
arisen. Major universities have established support 
laboratories to improve animal health and animal care. 
These laboratories with their staff of animal health 
specialists are uniquely suited to contribute to the three 
major functions of the medical school: service, research 
and teaching. The support laboratory for the A. J. 
Carlson Animal Research Facility at the University of 
Chicago is an example of one which operates within 
this context. The facilities, operation and contributions 
of this laboratory are described. 
INTRODUCTION 
In recent years there has been a trend to- 
ward centralization of animal facilities at medi- 
cal schools or the centralization of administra- 
tive functions related to animal care at these 
institutions. A central facility can provide spe- 
cialized support for animal research including 
the provision of health services. An outgrowth 
of this trend has been the establishment of lab- 
oratories for the support of health care in many 
central animal care programs. They were estab- 
lished because a diagnostic and support need 
was recognized ; however, the diagnostic service 
is only a small part of the contribution which 
they can make to the mission of a university. 
Ideally, a laboratory can contribute to the three 
major activities of a medical school: teaching, 
research and service. 
The basic mission of a university or medical 
school is one of education. Medical service and 
biomedical research are important goals of so- 
ciety on their own and can exist independently 
and outside of the context of a university com- 
munity but medical schools engage in these 
two activities because they are essential to the 
educational process. Medical service provides 
the experience necessary for the training of 
future physicians and biomedical research pro- 
*, University of Chicago, Chicago. Illinois. 
vides the training for future scientists and 
teachers as well as the environment and stim- 
ulation for academic excellence on the part of 
the teaching staff. 
A support laboratory for an animal facility 
should and must function and make its contribu- 
tion within this context. It can do this indi- 
rectly without participating in the teaching 
process by providing superior service and thus 
support to the research activity of a school, 
ultimately strengthening its education role. 
Alternatively, it can engage in teaching and or 
research activities directly, the role chosen for a 
laboratory in any particular institution depend- 
ing on the local requirements and capabilities 
of the available staff. However, a laboratory 
can contribute significantly and efficiently to 
each of the three basic activities in such a way 
that teaching, research and service are each 
supported by the others and performed better 
than either of them alone. 
The staff of a good animal diagnostic and 
support laboratory compliments or adds to the 
teaching program of a medical school at several 
levels. A very practical and essential educa- 
tional role involves training in animal handling 
and research techniques for animal caretakers, 
animal technicians, investigators and student 
investigators. Historically, graduate training 
has included courses or special training in the 
use of instruments and techniques such as elec- 
tron microscopy or histochemistry, but similar 
formal training in the selection and use of lab- 
oratory animals has often been inadequate. 
Young investigators may select an animal spe- 
cies for no other reason than tradition with 
little or no awareness of its limitations or ap- 
plications to his research problem. It has not 
been unusual for young investigators to be tem- 
porarily frustrated in their work because of 
the appearance of unexpected spontaneous dis- 
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