Peter Singer-Animal Liberation

experimenters themselves and published in the scientific
journals. That evidence cannot be accused of being
exaggerated.But becauseofthetotal lackofany adequate
inspection orscrutinyof whathappens in experiments,the
realityisoftenmuchworsethanthepublishedaccount.This
becameclearin 1984 inthecaseofexperimentsconductedby
ThomasGennarelli atthe Universityof Pennsylvania. The
aim of the experiments was to inflict head injuries on
monkeys,andthenexaminethenatureofthedamagetothe
brain.Accordingtotheofficialgrantdocumentsthemonkeys
weretobeanesthetizedbeforereceivingtheheadinjury.Thus
itwouldseemthattheexperimentsinvolvednosuffering.But
membersofagroupcalledtheAnimalLiberationFronthad
other information. They had also learned that Gennarelli
videotapedhisexperiments.Theybrokeintothelaboratory
and stole
the tapes. When they viewed them, they saw conscious,
unanesthetized baboons struggling as they were being
strappeddownbeforetheheadinjurieswereinflicted.They
sawanimalswrithing,apparentlycomingoutofanesthesia,as
surgeonswere operatingontheirexposed brains.Theyalso
heardtheexperimentersmockingandlaughingatfrightened,
suffering animals. The videotapes were so damning
that—thoughittookmorethana yearofhardworkbythe
Washington-basedgroupPeoplefortheEthicalTreatmentof
Animalsandhundredsofanimalactivists—thesecretary of
healthand humanservicesstoppedGennarelli’sfunding.^118
Sincethen,otherexampleshavecometolight,basedusually
on information provided by someone working in the
laboratorywhohasblownthewhistle,atthecostofhisorher
job. In 1986, for instance, Leslie Fain, an animal care
technician at Gillette’s testing laboratory in Rockville,
Maryland,resignedherjob andgaveAnimal Liberationists