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The so-called "three R's" of animal research - replacement, reduction and refinement - were first proposed by William Russell, a zoologist, and microbiologist Rex Burch. In the mid-1950s, they were hired by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, a scientific animal welfare organization based in the United Kingdom, to conduct a study of humane techniques for laboratory animal experiments.
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After five years of research, Russell and Burch grouped
their findings under the headings of replacement, reduction and refinement.
They maintained that those involved with laboratory animal use have a moral
duty to seek replacements to animal experiments whenever possible, keep the numbers
of animals used at a minimum and refine procedures to lessen discomfort and
stress.
They also maintained that good science and animal welfare
were inextricably linked. Chronic stress in research animals could result in
inaccurate and misleading experimental data, further supporting their call for
humane treatment. They wrote:
If we are to use a criterion for choosing experiments to
perform, the criterion of humanity is the best we could possibly invent. The
greatest scientific experiments have always been the most humane and the most
aesthetically attractive, conveying that sense of beauty and elegance which is
the essence of science at its most successful.
They published their findings in 1959 in The Principles of
Humane Experimental Technique. These tenets underpin most animal research
policy and practice today. They have been incorporated into various U.S. and
international laws and embraced by a variety of organizations around the world
such as the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing at Johns Hopkins
University and the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods,
based in Ispra, Italy.
The full text of The Principles of Humane Experimental
Technique can be viewed on the Altweb site maintained by the Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing, Johns Hopkins University.
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