[You should really get that From: line fixed]

        Hi. I've been lurking for quite a while. I didn't feel like I had
much to say, since I don't have any ferrets, and I joined this list to
learn about them, since I do like them. However, I saw the post about
testing on ferrets, and I thought I'd contribute this:
        PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) magazine had an
article on GM testing on many animals, including pigs and ferrets. It turns
out that over the last 20 years they have also spent tons of money lobbying
AGAINST requiring air bags in cars. In 1980, they tried to get the passive
restraint requirements removed altogether. PETA quotes one Nat'l Highway
Transportation Safety Administration safety expert as claaing GM's passive
restrainty system "the worst in the world."
        But, I digress. About testing on ferrets, PETA consulted some
experts.
        "I do not see where the work I have reviewed expands out knowledge
of head trauma."        -Richard Sax, MD, Neurology

        "This is one of the most cruel and medically unsound [experiments]
I've seen. Cutting away the skull and then directly damaging the
anesthetized brain is not representative of damage that occurs with trauma.
One of the biggest problems with brain trauma is that swelling of the
tissues of the brain occurs in closed space (the skull) causing damage to
the brain tissue. This is not duplicated in the experiment."
                -Joan Poster, DVM

        "I have to regard the reported research as redundant. It is not
representative of real life situations. I seriously doubt that [these]
findings have any clinical relevance to human injuries."
                -Roy Selby, MD, Neurology

        "Perhaps [GM] should take the money...spent in these sorts of
studies and use that to install excellent seatbelts of proper design in
their cars in place of their current inadequate seatbelts..."
                -William R. Wittert, MD, Pediatrics

        Just thought you'd be interested.
--
Max Handelsman, Drew University  | "An it harm none, do what thou wilt."
[log in to unmask],EDU}       | "Deesclaimer? We don' need no
[log in to unmask]  (alias) |  steenking deesclaimer!"

[Posted in FML 0194]