Vivisection
Etymologically, vivisection refers to the dissection of a living animal, typically for the purpose of physiological or pathological scientific investigation. More recently, the term has been applied broadly, especially by animal rights activists, to any type of experimentation in which animals are injured, with or without literal vivisection.
Animal rights advocates attempt to use vivisection to recast the terms of the discourse to favor their position, employing vivisection as a veiled barb. Supporters of animal research and testing respond that animal experimentation usually does not require the invasive procedures implied by vivisection. Animal Rights activists and terrorists have campaigned against and attacked such companies as Huntingdon Life Sciences for engaging in activities deprecatingly described by critics as "vivisection".
Recent moral controversy regarding vivisection has centered around questions of whether benefits, real or alleged, of animal vivisections outweigh what suffering is thereby inflicted. Those advocating a strict animal rights view, rather than a more general prevention of cruelty to animals position, may argue that, regardless of possible benefits to society, vivisection is immoral based on its transgression of the rights of animals.
Vivisection has long been practiced on human beings. Herophilos, the "father of anatomy" and founder of the first medical school in Alexandria, was accused by Tertullian of vivisecting at least 600 live prisoners. In recent times, the wartime programs of Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele and the Japanese Unit 731 both ordered human vivisections on concentration camp prisoners in their respective countries during WWII. The scientific value of these experiments is questionable; in some cases, the purpose of human vivisection appeared to be only tormenting prisoners rather than purposeful research.
References
Mary Roach, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003)
See also
animal testing, holocaust, human experimentation, animal rights, Animal Liberation Front, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
