Animal Experimentation : the legacy of Claude
نویسندگان
چکیده
Claude Bernard, the father of scientific physiology, believed that if medicine was to become truly scientific, it would have to be based on rigorous and controlled animal experiments. Bernard instituted a paradigm which has shaped physiological practice for most of the twentieth century. In this paper we examine how Bernard's commitment to hypothetico-deductivism and determinism led to (a) his rejection of the theory of evolution; (b) his minimalization of the role of clinical medicine and epidemiological studies; and (c) his conclusion that experiments on nonhuman animals were, "entirely conclusive for the toxicology and hygiene of man". We examine some negative consequences of Bernardianism for twentieth century medicine, and argue that physiology's continued adherence to Bernardianism has caused it to diverge from the other biological sciences which have become increasingly infused with evolutionary theory. But when we reach the limits of vivisection we have other means of going deeper and dealing with the elementary parts of organisms where the elementary properties of vital phenomena have their seat. We may introduce poisons into the circulation, which carry their specific action to one or another histological unit . . . Poisons are veritable reagents of life, extremely delicate instruments which dissect vital units. (Claude Bernard, 1949)
منابع مشابه
Hedayat’s Neighbour: The Fictional Legacy of Gholam-Hosayn Sa’edi, Ghahreman Shiri, Tehran: Butimar, 2015. pp. 284 .
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