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The American Physiological Society
Integrating the Life Sciences from Molecule to Organism
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20814
September 24, 2002
Mr. Noah Wyle
C/O NBC Studios
4000 Warner Boulevard
Burbank, CA 91523
Dear Mr. Wyle:
On August 7, 2002 the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) announced that you had joined their national campaign as a spokesman to promote health charities that do not fund or conduct animal experiments. I am writing to encourage you to disassociate yourself with this endeavor. Health charities that support animal research are working to find cures. Undermining their efforts could have serious health ramifications for our nation.
The use of animals in medical research has led to remarkable discoveries in the quest to end life threatening diseases and disabilities. In fact, virtually every medical advancement in the last 100 years depended directly or indirectly on research in animals. That long list includes kidney dialysis, blood transfusion, and chemotherapy. Animal models allow scientists to answer certain kinds of questions such as how a particular disease affects the body and whether a particular drug is likely to be safe and effective. Animal research is not a perfect predictor of what happens in the human body, but currently it is the most effective one for answering certain kinds of questions
The PCRM's "do not give" list includes the American Cancer Society, the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AMFAR), the American Diabetes Association, Alzheimer's Association and American Heart Association. These groups are funding research at the forefront of conquering costly and debilitating ailments. What will you say to patients with these afflictions and their families if PCRM succeeds in ending the work of scientists who are trying to save their lives?
The charities on the "give" list provide services such as patient assistance and health education. These are important services, but they do not bring us closer to a cure. While PCRM points out the benefits of non-animal research methods, these approaches answer some questions but not others. We will not find cures without animal research.
I am enclosing a copy of the American Physiological Society's brochure "Questions People Ask About Animals in Research" and a copy of an article entitled "First, Animals Aren't People." This piece was written by Dr. Adrian Morrison and published in the Wilmington Morning Star.
Sincerely yours,
Dr. Martin Frank
Executive Director