“Newon theMarket,” whichrecently informedits readers
about a new piece of research equipment:
ThelatestanimalresearchtoolfromColumbusInstrumentsis
an air-tight animal treadmill for the collection of oxygen
consumptiondataduringexercise.Thetreadmillhasisolated
runninglaneswithseparateelectricalshockstimuliwhichcan
be configured for up to four rats or mice.... The
basic£9,737systemincludesabeltspeedcontrollerandan
adjustable voltage shocker. The £13,487 fully automatic
system canbe programmedto runconsecutiveexperiments
withrestperiodsinbetween,andautomaticallymonitorsthe
numberoftripstotheshockergrid,timespentrunning,and
time spent on the shocker grid.^25
ColumbusInstrumentsmakeseveralotheringeniousdevices.
InLab Animalit advertises:
TheColumbusInstrumentsConvulsionMetermakespossible
objective and quantitative measurements of animal
convulsions.Asensorprecisionplatform loadcell converts
theverticalcomponentsofconvulsionforceintoproportional
electrical signals.... The user must observe the animal’s
behaviorandactivatethemeterbyapush-buttonswitchwhen
a convulsion isnoticed. At the end of theexperiment the
totalizedforceandthetotalized,timeoftheconvulsionswill
be obtained.
ThenthereisTheWholeRatCatalog.PublishedbyHarvard
Bioscience,itconsistsof 140 pagesofequipmentforusein
experimenting on small animals, all written in cute
advertising jargon. Of the transparent plastic rabbit
restrainers,forinstance,thecatalogtellsus:“Theonlything