Advertisement
That's the question pitting the Medical College of Wisconsin, which uses dogs in an instructional laboratory for first-year students, against a physicians' group that calls the practice inhumane and unnecessary.
The Milwaukee-based medical college uses about 60 live dogs a year — usually hunting dogs of nonspecific breeds bought from a breeder in Minnesota — in a human physiology class.
In one lab exercise, students open the chests of anesthetized dogs to study the circulatory system and watch the effect of injected drugs on the heart. After a series of experiments, the dogs are euthanized with a lethal dose of potassium.
Dr. John J. Pippin, a senior medical adviser for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, said the practice is antiquated and that only six of 125 accredited medical schools in the United States and Puerto Rico still use live animals to teach physiology.
``There are alternatives that are not only adequate but superior,'' he said, noting that computer-based learning and physician mentorships were effective teaching methods. ``I don't see any reason why even one more dog should be killed for this purpose.''
The physicians committee, a nonprofit group based in Washington, D.C., that advocates for compassionate medical practices, held a news conference Monday at the Milwaukee headquarters of the Wisconsin Humane Society.
Jeff Rusinow, a Humane Society board member, said his group has quietly discussed its concerns with medical college officials for two years to no avail.
``We regretfully find ourselves having to elevate this to a more public platform,'' he said.
Dr. Jean-Francois Liard, the course's professor, acknowledged when contacted Monday that most medical schools use computer models or simulators instead of live animals, but he said nothing replaces the experience of working with a live subject. For example, students working with a computer model have too much comfort knowing that if they mess up they can simply reboot the program, he said.
``But in a live-animal model, if you make a mistake, you may kill your animal,'' Liard said. ``It's a very sobering experience to have to deal with for the first time in your life.''
Medical College spokesman Dick Katschke said each dog used in the program costs about $250, and the training requires substantial faculty time.
``We believe it's worth the commitment of time as well as expense. We believe it has great educational merit,'' he said.
One doctor at the medical college disagreed with the use of animals. Dr. Donald Feinsilver, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry, noted that students can opt out of the live-animal part of the class and still turn out to be equally capable doctors.
``Medical science calls the practice tradition,'' he said. ``I submit that's not a reason to continue.''
The medical college is studying whether to replace dogs with pigs.
The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine in Madison uses only pigs.
Dr. Robert Carroll, chairman of the American Physiological Society in Bethesda, Md., said computer models work, but that shouldn't preclude professors from relying on live animals as well.
``I have a teaching tool I can use well, and I know it works,'' Carroll said. ``The faculty should be able to use the best tool available to them to do the job.''
ON THE WEB
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine: click here
Medical College of Wisconsin: click here
