Of Animals And Health

Regarding the article published in the Sept. 5, 1994, issue of The Scientist, entitled "Experimentation On Animals Retards Progress Of Science," by Kenneth P. Stoller [page 12]: Despite the title, the article debated moral issues regarding our right to inflict pain on experimental animals, but did not provide one solid piece of evidence or hard data to back up the statement that animal experiments are invalid to obtain insight regarding human physiology.

Concerning the relevance of animal experimentation to human health: Research in my laboratory is directed toward a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling reproductive function. We are very interested, in particular, in determining what can cause fertility disruptions.

In the course of one series of experiments carried out in rats, my colleagues and I noticed that repeated administration of analogs of the hypothalamic peptide that controls reproductive functions (gonadotropin-releasing hormone, GnRH) blocked gonadotropin and sex steroid release....