324 HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 
[From Hospitals, Dec. 16, 1961] 
Caring for Research Animals in Hospital Laboratories 
(By Bennett J. Cohen, D.Y.M., Ph. D. 1 ) 
(Hospital research laboratories share a common interest with other medical 
research institutions in providing the best possible care for laboratory ani- 
mals, the author states. He discusses present standards requiring professional 
direction of laboratory facilities and stresses the need for technically com- 
petent animal care personnel) 
Hospital research laboratories have played an increasingly important role in 
the national research effort in recent years. This increased participation in re- 
search has posed new problems and challenges for hospital administrators. It 
has become necessary to accommodate activities never before undertaken on a 
major scale in hospital facilities. One of these important activities is animal 
experimentation. Some of the essential considerations in planning for the 
proper use and care of experimental animals are reviewed in this article to 
assist hospital officials responsible for these programs. 
The specialized discipline of laboratory animal care has evolved within the 
past 15 years. 2 This development is an outgrowth of greatly increased public 
support of medical research. It also reflects the increasing specialization of re- 
search and its tools. 
Health disciplines conduct specialized professional activities in accordance 
with appropriate codes of practice. For example, the “Standards of the Joint 
Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals,” an authoritative reference on proper 
hospital practices, guide member hospitals of the American Hospital Associa- 
tion. 3 They assure operation of hospitals in the public interest. 
1 Bennett J. Cohen, D.V.M., Ph. D., is assistant professor of physiology and director of 
the vivarium, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles. 
2 Cohen, B. J., “Organization and Functions of a Medical School Animal Facility,” J. 
Med. Educ. 35 : 24, 1960. 
3 Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals. “Standards for Hospital Accredita- 
tion,” December 1960. 
