HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 357 
3. Breeders who do not meet the OCNSC standards are striving to do so and 
the entire industry has been improved. These standards are available on request 
to anyone, so those not associated with CONSG are improving their own facilities 
with these guidelines. The enlarged interest and new practical advances are 
apparent in the literature of the past 6 years on the subject. 
4. Transportation : The application of increased knowledge concerning the re- 
quirements for optimal care has led to improvements in shipping methods and 
ultimate cooperation between the carrier and the shipper. Again funds were sup- 
plied to ILAR to draw up standards for this purpose. 
5. Housing and equipment: Institutions in the CCNSC program have been 
stimulated to provide basic designs of housing to control disease in animals and 
facilitate better care. These procedures are being followed by other depart- 
ments in institutions where the example of CCNSC has been set. New equip- 
ment in other departments are bought to use the cleaning and sterlizing machin- 
ery of CCNSC. This means streamlined equipment for economy. 
6. Personnel : Another place where CCNSC has set the pace is in professional 
supervision and trained personnel. Although a CCNSC contract may be a com- 
paratively small segment of the complete program of biological research con- 
ducted at the institution, it is transmutable to other areas by an integrated serv- 
ice department with a strong chain of command. In this department of research, 
like every other, organization is necessary. It cannot have several bosses and 
ultimately be nobody’s business and be efficient. 
In this program, care of the animal has achieved the status and serious atten- 
tion necessary to do the job. This means a higher morale among employees. 
7. Information: A large function of CCNSC is the accumulation of experi- 
mental data in the fight on cancer. 
In the field of animal care practical methods have been gradually taking the 
place of unplanned procedures. Ideas that do not work are being discouraged 
while new ideas have been welcomed. This is done by working with people in 
institutions and through demonstration. 
Other research programs using mice have recognized the value of the exchange 
of information with the CCNSC central source. 
8. Disease control : There are two diagnostic centers where help can be ob- 
tained when disease becomes evident and before it results in epidemic waste. The 
centers also conduct research into the diseases of these animals. An emergency 
stock of breeder mice is kept at one installation in case of disaster. 
9. Conservation and economy : It was encouraging to see that tissue cultures, 
microbiological systems, and chick embryos are being used as a preliminary 
screening to eliminate some of the substances before mice were used. CCNSC 
makes persistent efforts in this direction. 
REPORT OF WARDS VISIT TO THREE INSTALLATIONS UNDER THE CCNSC PROGRAM 
(Hazleton Laboratories, Inc., Microbiological Associates, Inc., in the Washing- 
ton area and Southern Research Institute in Birmingham, Ala. ) 
Note. — There is no attempt here to give a detailed picture of animal care 
practiced at these institutions. The Animal Facility Accreditation Questionnaire 
of CCNSC is a 14-page document. It asks 17 questions about cages, their size, 
material, space per animal, etc. : 6 questions about the watering system ; 7 ques- 
tions about the feeding system ; 7 questions about the animal rooms ; 11 ques- 
tions about bedding ; 8 questions about ventilation ; 24 questions about cleaning, 
including system for disposal of bedding, food, and dead animals; 28 questions 
under the heading of disease diagnosis and prevention ; 18 questions under 
genetics and recordkeeping and 13 questions under nutrition. Just trying to 
answer them is an education in itself. 
Administration : At all three installations the areas of responsibility are 
clearly defined. The care of the research animal is recognized as a separate, im- 
portant, technical operation. Funds for this purpose are provided. The per- 
son in charge of this department has complete responsibility and the necessary 
authority. Qualifications to head the departments differed from a veterinary 
degree to long-term informal training or college training in related subjects. 
In one place visited where several research projects, in addition to cancer, 
use mice they are supplied by the single service and the on-experiment animals 
are also serviced by the central animal-care department. We understand that 
scientists here welcome this central service. 
