HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 195 
animals. The recommendations are based on three principles. First, the care 
and management of laboratory animals should be directed by professionally 
qualified persons. Second, all animal care personnel should be suitably quali- 
fied by training and experience in the care of laboratory animals. Third, physi- 
cal facilities and the methods of care for animals should permit their mainte- 
nance in a state of well being and comfort. 
The committee recognizes that the nature of the animal facilities and the 
methods used in implementing these principles may vary with the type and 
size of the scientific institution. However, it hopes the guide will serve as a 
common reference for all institutions in conducting their animal care programs. 
This first edition of the guide is drected primarily to the problems of main- 
taining the most commonly used mammalian specialties in medical research 
institutions. It may contain errors of omission and commission. Corrections 
will be received gratefully. And the committee solicits constructive criticism. 
If the guide is to serve usefully it must be a living document subject to change 
with changing conditions and new information. 
And I think that this last sentence is a key to how we ought to 
be interpreting the word “humane” today. It is not a static thing 
that has been defined for all time to come, the standards that were 
considered humane in 1850 would hardly be considered humane today. 
And it may well be that as time goes by, as we advance in some rational 
way our knowledge and understanding of the word “humane,” that 
our standards too will be advanced. 
I think this is eminently to be hoped for. 
It is an interesting thing that the very same kind of problems which 
I have mentioned exist in British research institutions, operating 
under the law of 1876, which has received so much attention at this 
hearing. In fact, these very problems led our British colleagues to 
organize the Laboratory Animals Center and the Animal Technicians 
Association about the same time that our own Animal Care Panel 
was being formed. 
Obviously this type of legislation is no guarantee against prob- 
lems, and neither does it assure their solution. I submit that animal 
care in American research institutions now and today at this very 
moment is the equal of what you will find in British research institu- 
tions, in some cases better perhaps, and in some cases worse, but we are 
in fact on quite a comparable scale, and the existence or lack of exist- 
ence of the British law of 1876 makes not one iota of difference in this 
particular regard. 
I have addressed myself primarily to the problems of care of 
animals. This is the purpose and function of the Animal Care Panel. 
As a physiologist and as a teacher of physiology I should like to con- 
clude by indicating some of the things that are being done in terms 
of improving the use of animals. I should like to give you as a spe- 
cific example a course program that I teach in the department of 
physiology. It is called Physiology 801, Methods and Techniques in 
the Use and Care of Laboratory Animals. All of our graduate stu- 
dents in the department of physiology are required to take this course 
as part of their graduate training. Through program of this type, 
these students become indoctrinated and oriented to the proper condi- 
tions of care and use of animals. 
In the area of professional training I think it was mentioned that 
we had a formal training program in laboratory animal medicine at 
the University of California. I recently left the University of Cali- 
fornia, and I hope and expect that the program which I had in Los 
Angeles will shortly be operating at the University of Michigan. This 
