Ch. 9— Animal Use in Education and the Alternatives • 205 
Table 9-4 shows the numbers of animals used 
by the 16 medical schools. The principal species 
used by those surveyed were rats, dogs, and mice. 
Most animals (84 percent) were sacrificed either 
before or at the end of the demonstration or lab- 
oratory, but over half the cats and all the sheep 
were allowed to recover. Anesthesiology, psychia- 
try, and biochemistry were the disciplines most 
likely to subject animals to multiple recovery pro- 
cedures. According to this survey, only slightly 
more than 10 percent of the animals used in sur- 
gery are allowed to recover at all (2). 
The majority of animals used in the 16 schools 
surveyed were used in the teaching of surgery (51 
percent) and physiology (16 percent). No other sin- 
gle discipline accounts for even 10 percent of all 
animals used. Most of the dogs (64 percent) were 
used in the teaching of surgery and physiology. 
The total of 7,274 animals can be placed in con- 
text by noting the number of students taking part 
in the laboratory exercises and demonstrations— 
approximately 7,900 medical students and 6,700 
residents, for a total of approximately 14,600 stu- 
dents at both levels. Calculating roughly from this, 
approximately one animal is sacrificed each year 
to support the training of two students (2). 
The purposes for which animals are used vary, 
even within a discipline. Several general surgery 
and surgical specialty departments offer their resi- 
dents a course in microsurgery. Residents learn 
microvascular suture techniques that they will 
later apply in human surgery designed to restore 
circulation. Nearly all small-animal use (i.e., rats, 
hamsters, and rabbits) is for such microsurgery 
training. Some general surgery departments of- 
fer their residents training in major surgery (e.g., 
splenectomy) using dogs, cats, or pigs, with the 
goal of recovery of animals. Ophthalmology de- 
partments use rabbits to teach new residents the 
fundamentals of microsurgery of the eye (2). 
Table 9-4.— Animals Used in Laboratory Exercises and Demonstrations in Medical Education in 
16 Selected U.S. Medical Schools, 1983-84 
Kind of animal 
Guinea 
Discipline 
Primate 
Dog 
Cat 
Pig 
Rabbit 
Rat 
Mouse 
pig 
Hamster 
Other 3 
Total 
Advanced trauma life 
support 
— 
39 
13 
10 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
62 
Anatomy 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
75 
— 
— 
— 
— 
75 
Anesthesiology 
— 
6 
1 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
7 
Biochemistry 
— 
7 
— 
— 
— 
— 
40 
— 
— 
— 
47 
Dermatology 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0 
Family medicine .... 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0 
Internal medicine . . . 
— 
115 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
115 
Microbiology 
— 
— 
— 
— 
2 
— 
12 
9 
3 
— 
26 
Neurology 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0 
Neurosurgery 
Obstetrics and 
— 
12 
— 
— 
6 
100 
— 
— 
— 
— 
118 
gynecology 
— 
52 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
52 
Ophthalmology 
4 
— 
20 
— 
122 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
146 
Otolaryngology 
— 
5 
1 
— 
— 
5 
9 
— 
— 
— 
20 
Pathology 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0 
Pediatrics 
— 
— 
14 
— 
4 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
18 
Pharmacology 
— 
44 
50 
— 
— 
264 
300 
— 
— 
— 
658 
Physiology 
— 
490 
— 
— 
2 
294 
— 
— 
80 
327 
1,193 
Psychiatry 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
4 
4 
Radiology 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
0 
Surgery 
10 
612 
151 
54 
113 
1,689 
930 
27 
130 
— 
3,716 
Surgery, orthopedic . 
— 
— 
— 
— 
113 
279 
20 
— 
— 
1 
413 
Urology 
Miscellaneous/basic 
— 
20 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
— 
20 
— 
40 
sciences 
— 
365 
16 
— 
16 
72 
— 
— 
— 
72 
541 
Other 
— 
4 
13 
— 
— 
— 
6 
— 
— 
— 
23 
Total 
14 
1,771 
279 
64 
378 
2,778 
1,317 
36 
233 
404 
7,274 
includes frogs, sheep, and pigeons. 
SOURCE: Association of American Medical Colleges, Use of Animals in Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education (Washington, DC: 1985) 
