asked the Minister for Health the total number of experiments on live animals in the Republic in each of the years 1958 to 1961 inclusive which were carried out with an anaesthetic and without, and the number of animals destroyed before recovery from the anaesthetics when administered.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Experiments on Live Animals.
21.
As the information requested by the Deputy, so far as it is available, is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose, with your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, to circulate it with the Official Report.
Following is the statement:
|
Experiments |
Year |
|||
|
1958 |
1959 |
1960 |
1961 |
|
|
With anaesthesia and subject to obligation in Note 1 below ... |
295 |
416 |
905 |
798 |
|
With anaesthesia but not subject to obligation in Note 1 below ... |
116 |
218 |
304 |
478 |
|
Without anaesthesia |
18,640 |
48,629 |
51,003 |
55,480 |
NOTE 1.— Unless special permission is granted, animals on which experiments are performed under anaesthesia must be destroyed before anaesthesia passes off if pain is likely to arise or if any serious injury has been inflicted. Information is not available as to the number of instances in which the animal was destroyed, pursuant to this obligation or otherwise.
NOTE 2.— Save very exceptionally the experiments without anaesthesia consist of simple inoculations. Thus, for example, of the total of 173,752 in the four years, over 140,000 were injections in connection with an investigation of potential anti-cancer and anti-tuberculosis chemotherapeutic agents and over 16,000 were injections in connection with pregnancy tests in one of the large maternity hospitals.
NOTE 3.— To a minor extent, the information available in respect of the years 1960 and 1961 is incomplete due to the failure of three licence holders, who have since left the country, to submit the relevant returns, two in respect of the year 1960 and the third in respect of the year 1961.