withouttheirconsent,althoughtherearemanycasesinwhich
suchexperimentswouldadvanceknowledgefarmorerapidly
thananyothermethod.Nowweneedtobroadenthescopeof
this existing restriction on scientific research.
Finally, it is important to realize that the major health
problemsoftheworldlargelycontinuetoexist,notbecause
we do not know howto prevent disease and keep people
healthy, but because no one is putting enough effort and
moneyinto doing what we already knowhow to do. The
diseases that ravage Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the
pocketsofpovertyintheindustrializedWestarediseasesthat,
by and large, we know how to cure. They have been
eliminated in communities that have adequate nutrition,
sanitation,andhealthcare.Ithasbeenestimatedthat250,000
childrendieeachweekaroundtheworld,andthatonequarter
of these deaths areby dehydration causedby diarrhea. A
simple treatment, already known and needing no animal
experimentation, could prevent the deaths of these
children.^138 Those who are genuinely concerned about
improvinghealthcarewouldprobablymakeamoreeffective
contributiontohumanhealthiftheyleftthelaboratoriesand
saw to it that our existing stock of medical knowledge
reached those who need it most.
Whenallthishasbeensaid,therestillremainsthepractical
question:Whatcanbedonetochangethewidespreadpractice
of
experimenting on animals? Undoubtedly,some action that
willchangegovernment policiesisneeded,butwhataction
precisely? What canthe ordinarycitizen do to helpbring
about change?