vivisection

viv·i·sec·tion

V0131900 (vĭv′ĭ-sĕk′shən, vĭv′ĭ-sĕk′-)n. The act or practice of cutting into or otherwise injuring living animals for the purpose of scientific research.

[Latin vīvus, alive; see vivify + (dis)section.]

viv′i·sec′tion·al adj.viv′i·sec′tion·al·ly adv.viv′i·sec′tion·ist n.

vivisection

(ˌvɪvɪˈsɛkʃən) n (Zoology) the act or practice of performing experiments on living animals, involving cutting into or dissecting the body[C18: from vivi-, from Latin vīvus living + section, as in dissection] ˌviviˈsectional adj ˌviviˈsectionally adv

viv•i•sec•tion

(ˌvɪv əˈsɛk ʃən)

n. 1. the action of cutting into or dissecting a living body. 2. the practice of subjecting living animals to cutting operations, esp. in order to advance physiological and pathological knowledge. [1700–10] viv`i•sec′tion•al, adj.

viv·i·sec·tion

(vĭv′ĭ-sĕk′shən) The practice of examining internal organs and tissues by cutting into or dissecting a living animal.

Thesaurus

Noun

vivisection - the act of operating on living animals (especially in scientific research)surgical operation, surgical procedure, surgical process, surgery, operation - a medical procedure involving an incision with instruments; performed to repair damage or arrest disease in a living body; "they will schedule the operation as soon as an operating room is available"; "he died while undergoing surgery"

Translations

活体解剖

vivisection

(ˌviviˈʃekʃn) noun the practice of cutting open live animals for scientific research. 活体解剖

vivisection

(vĭv'ĭsĕk`shən), dissection of living animals for experimental purposes. The use of the term in recent years has been expanded to include all experimentation on living animals, rather than just dissection alone. The practice contributed to the outstanding progress that was made in the 17th cent. by William Harvey in understanding the circulation of the blood. However, the use of research animals in the laboratory did not become widespread in Europe until the 19th cent. In 1896, when the National Institute of Health originated in the United States, it began to take an active role in encouraging proper care and use of laboratory animals. Since 1945, the National Society for Medical Research has tried to explain to the public the nature and necessity of experimental procedures on animals. During the 1980s, the incidence of vandalism, harassment, and theft in research centers using animals for testing increased greatly. Most nations have government agencies that assume advisory or regulatory roles in the practice of vivisection. Private organizations in the United States concerned with vivisection include the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In the United States today, strict rules and procedures, laid down by the National Institutes of Health and a number of other public and private organizations, ensure ethical and sensitive use of animals for research. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Animal Welfare Regulations are among the most important documents setting forth requirements for animal care and use by institutions using animals in research, testing, and education. Regulations have been effective since 1985. Members of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees observe and enforce compliance to these rulings on institutional levels. The USDA regularly inspects all institutions that use animals for experimental purposes. Animals most frequently used in the laboratory include rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and monkeys. When animals more closely resembling humans in size and structure are needed, dogs and chimpanzees may be utilized. Animal experimentation is especially advantageous if offspring of several generations are to be observed: for instance, about 5 generations of mice can be observed in a year, whereas in humans the same experiment would require over 100 years.

Bibliography

See studies by T. Regan (1988), S. Sperling (1988), and B. Rollin (1989).

Vivisection

the performance of operations on live animals for the purpose of studying the functions of the body, the effect of medicinal substances, methods of surgical treatment, and so forth. In vivisection the research is conducted at the time of the operation itself—for example, in an acute experiment through irritation, transplantation, or removal of an organ. On the other hand, in a chronic experiment (originated by I. P. Pavlov), the operation merely serves as a preparation for subsequent research (for example, the creation of a fistula of the salivary gland or stomach). Vivisection is an extremely valuable method in medical and physiological research. Experiments are conducted in such a way that animal suffering during operations is minimized by the use of narcosis and so forth. Accusations from antivivi-section societies (in Great Britain and the USA) of the torture of animals by physiologists or medical experimenters are therefore without foundation. In the USSR vivisection is permitted only for scientific purposes.

vivisection

the act or practice of performing experiments on living animals, involving cutting into or dissecting the body

vivisection

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vivisection

viv•i•sec•tion

viv·i·sec·tion

vivisection

vivisection

vivisection

Bibliography

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Words related to vivisection

noun the act of operating on living animals (especially in scientific research)

Related Words