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Comparatively recent (mainly since the 19th century) controversy regarding vivisection has centered around moral questions of whether benefits, perceived or actual, of animal experimentation outweigh what suffering is thereby inflicted. Those advocating a strict animal rights view, rather than a more general animal welfare position, may argue that, regardless of possible benefits to society, vivisection is immoral based on its transgression of the rights of animals.
Jeremy Bentham was the first British philosopher to posit the idea that animals deserved to be treated with kindness. In an oft-quoted passage, he argued: "The question is not, "Can they reasonAlternate uses: Reason (program), Reason (magazine), Reason (Asimov In philosophy, reason (from Latin ratio by way of French raison is the faculty by means of which or the process through which human beings perform thought, especially abstract thought.?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer?"Vivisection has long been practised on humanHuman beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. Biologically, they are classified as Homo sapiens ( Latin for knowing man , a primate species of mammal with a highly developed brain. In spiritua beings too. HerophilosHerophilos sometimes Latinized Herophilus (335-280 BC), was a Greek physician. He was born in Chalcedon in Asia Minor (now Kadikoy, Turkey). He is known as the first anatomist in history. Together with Erasistratus he is regarded as a founder of the great, the "father of anatomy" and founder of the first medical schoolMedical school generally refers to a tertiary educational institution (or part of such an institution) which is involved in the education of future medical practitioners ( medical doctors). Faculty of medicine is a term used in many parts of the world (su in AlexandriaLocated on the Mediterranean Sea coast, Alexandria (in Arabic, al-iskandariyyah is the chief seaport in Egypt, and that country's second largest city, and the capital of the Al Iskandariyah governate. It is located at 31°12'N, 29°15'E, 208 km (129 miles), was accused by TertullianQuintus Septimius Florens Tertullian (b. 150- 160, d. 220- 240) is a highly ambivalent character in early Christianity. On one hand, he was the first great writer of Latin Christianity. He was born, lived, wrote, and died in Carthage, in what is today Tun of vivisecting at least 600 live prisoners. In recent times, the wartime programs of Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele and the Japanese military ( Unit 731 and Dr. Fukujiro Ishiyama at Kyushu Imperial University Hospital) both conducted human vivisections on concentration camp prisoners in their respective countries during WWII. The scientific value of these experiments is questionable, as indeed are the ethics of using any results; in some cases, the purpose of human vivisection appeared to be only tormenting prisoners rather than purposeful research. In response to these atrocities, the medical profession internationally adopted the Nuremberg Code as a code of ethics.