Throughout the 20th century, scientists have continually made important and advantageous breakthroughs in numerous fields of studies. Many of the scientists responsible for these discoveries directly, or indirectly, used animals somewhere along the road to their goals and conclusions. This process of experimenting on animals is known as vivisection. Undoubtedly, these scientists did use vivisection; but that is not the question posed. Essentially, the question is what are the benefits, and what are the harms of animal testing. Moreover though, the question is do the risks outweigh the benefits. And finally, the most important question is 'Was animal research essential? Is there any other way to find and test the theories and medication we have?'
             Before we examine the questions and attempt to answer the above state queries, we must obtain a background on the issue. Animal experimentation and testing have been practiced for centuries. The range of the type of animals used in experiments can vary widely depending on the type of experiment. According to various organizations the number of animals used in these tests ranges from 200 to 900 million animals annually.
             There are a number of different species of animals which are used in these test, which include, but are not limited to: rats, mice, birds, rabbits, pigs, dogs and cats. Of these animals, rats and mice are the most commonly used animal. These animals are used in many different fields, disease research centers, psychological studies, and domestic product testing (which includes the most controversial area of cosmetic testing).
             The main things we must understand are that many species of animals are tested upon, they have been tested upon for a very long time, and are widely accepted in scientific fields.
             So animals are used, a lot. There must be obvious purposes for this, right? Well, of course there are purposes and reasons for animal testing. According to t...