Suffering for science 为科学牺牲

最后胜利

May 7th 2009
From The Economist print edition
Europe votes for better regulation of animal experiments
欧洲投票决定进一步规范动物实验。
FIFTY years ago, William Russell, a classics scholar, and Rex Burch, a microbiologist, outlined how the use of animals in scientific research could be made more humane. They wanted scientists to restrict the use of animals, to refine their experiments to minimise distress and to replace testing on animals with alternative techniques. Although the “3Rs” have become a guiding principle, the number of animals used today remains far higher than Russell and Burch would have accepted. Finally, that may be changing. On May 5th the European Parliament voted to update the rules on the use of animals in research.
50年前，杰出学者威廉•罗素和微生物学家雷克斯•伯奇共同概述了如何更人道地把动物用于科学实验中。他们提出“3R原则”，即减少动物使用量（replace testing on animals）、改善试验方法以减轻动物痛苦(refine their experiments to minimise distress)和用非活体动物实验替代动物实验(replace testing on animals with alternative techniques)。尽管该理论已经成为了实验动物用于科学研究的指导原则，但现今社会使用的动物数量却远远超过两人可接受的范围。现在，这种情况可能终于要改变了。本月五日，欧洲议会投票决定要更新动物实验规则。


Some 12m animals are used in scientific procedures each year in Europe. Most are mice and rats. The European directive on how such animals should be treated dates from 1986, long before research led to the breeding of the first creatures that carried the genes of another species. Some countries have more restrictions than others. Britain, for example, uses far fewer primates in scientific research than does France. The European Commission said in November 2008 that it wanted to update the rules to better protect laboratory animals throughout Europe. It received hundreds of amendments, but has adopted few of them.
每年欧洲用于科学实验的动物数量大概有1200万，其中多数是老鼠1。欧洲关于实验动物数量的法规可以回顾到1986年，很久以后，研究才开始培育第一代携带其他物种基因的动物。有些国家的限制更严。比如，相比法国，英国在研究中用到的灵长类动物就比较少。2008年11月，欧洲委员会就说，它们想要更新动物实验规则，在欧洲范围内更好的保护实验室动物。尽管它收到了几百条修正案，但最终采用的却也寥寥无几。
In particular, the politicians decided against an outright ban on the use of great apes. Instead they voted to allow such experiments only when they are intended to conserve the number of chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas and orang-utans, or when using these species becomes essential to tackling a disease that threatens people. In practice, no great apes have been used in Europe for years and there are no breeding colonies from which to take them. In America, chimpanzees are being used to develop a vaccine for hepatitis C because they are the only creatures, other than humans, to be afflicted by the disease.
值得一提的是，议员否决了完全禁止猿类的提案，但实验目的如果是维持黑猩猩、倭黑猩猩、大猩猩和红毛猩猩的数量，或者说或者说这些生物在研究某种对人类有害疾病必不可少的情况下，实验才可以使用这些生物。而在实际操作中，欧洲已经很多年不用这些灵长类动物做实验了2，实验室也没有专门饲养这些动物。在美国，研究人员借助黑猩猩研制抵御丙型肝炎的疫苗，这是因为，除了人类以外，只有黑猩猩会感染该病毒。
Another proposal was to ban the use of primates caught in the wild. Scientists prefer to work with the offspring of animals raised in laboratories because knowledge of the creatures’ complete medical history makes them more dependable. The commission will investigate whether breeding colonies can be established within the next decade for all species used in research. Every other year, it will also conduct a review of the use of primates, mostly macaque monkeys, in research. Less than 0.1% of the animals used in research in Europe are primates.
此外，还有一项提案要求禁止使用野生灵长类动物。科学家更倾向于使用实验室养大的灵长类动物，因为了解其体格全貌能让实验结果更可靠。该委员会将调查，十年内以实验室自养的动物代替所有的野生动物是否可行。每隔两年，该委员会还会回顾试验中用到的灵长类动物，尤其是猕猴的数量。在欧洲试验中用的到灵长类动物不到总数的0.1%。
All experiments will be classified according to the degree of pain and distress they cause. If mild or moderate, animals can be used again. Those that experience severe pain will be killed. The legislation would allow mild procedures to be approved by an employer. But those causing moderate or severe pain would need the permission of a national authority.
此外，所有的实验都将以疼痛程度为依据进行划分。如果仅是轻微或一般的疼痛，这些动物可以反复使用。而要忍受剧痛的动物则会被施以安乐死。法案还同意，导致轻微疼痛的实验只要由雇主同意即可，但导致一般甚至剧烈疼痛的必须由国家当局批准方可。
Sharing information freely should help to reduce the number of animals scientists use. Today they usually publish the results of their research only if they are positive, but if there is more data about negative results, scientists are less likely to repeat experiments needlessly.
要减少科学家使用的动物数量，信息完全共享是一个办法。现在科学家一般只会发表正面结果，而如果失败的数据也能增加的话，科学家就不大可能一遍遍的做无用功了。
The commission also agreed to expand the work of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods to develop, co-ordinate and promote procedures that can replace animal testing. That is important because, at present, the centre concentrates on toxicology tests that account for only about 10% of animal experiments in Europe, whereas most animals are used in basic medical research. Any alternatives in Europe will need to be accepted by authorities worldwide to avoid animal tests being imposed elsewhere.
委员会也同意，要增加欧洲替代试验方法验证中心的只能，以发展、协调、促进能够带地动物实验的技术。目前，该中心的重心在毒性试验上，该试验用到的动物仅占全欧洲总量的10%，大部分动物适用于基本医药研究上的，因此，委员会此举举足轻重。要防止别的地方使用这类实验，欧洲做的任何改变也都要让其他国家的当局改变才行。
With elections for a new parliament soon to take place, MEPs are unlikely to see the reform through until at least 2010. It will then be up to member states to adopt the legislation, which could take another couple of years. Russell and Burch would have been pleased that progress is being made, but appalled at its slow pace.
由于欧洲议会很快将要改选，因此议会议员至少也会在2010年才能看到改革的结果。接下来就等会员国采用该法案，而这又要等几年的时间了。动物实验取得进展，罗素和伯奇自然高兴，然而，进展速度缓慢，亦会让其皱眉。
注释
1.   mice是大鼠    mouse一般是小一点的老鼠   不过国内在这方面划分的似乎不是很细……如果有学这方面的同学欢迎拍砖
2.   great ape:Any of various anthropoid apes of the family Pongidae, which includes the chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans实在不知道该用什么来翻，求助学生物的同学

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