Sacred cows and golden geese

Everyone should read this book! Exposing the colossal corruption and bogus science behind much of the pharmaceutical industry, it amazes, enrages and inspires.

With countless clear, scientific examples the authors (a doctor and a vet) dispel the myth that animal experiments have contributed to medical progress. They show that using animals to safety-test human medicines is worse than useless and has led to the absurd situation where prescription drugs kill far more people than all illegal drugs put together. Adverse drug reactions are now the fourth largest cause of death in the US, behind only heart disease, cancer and strokes.

The authors demonstrate that the concept of using animals as models for human disease is scientifically bankrupt – animals do not suffer from human diseases and there is no value in studying them.

If we want to see reductions in cancer and heart disease and inroads made into diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, then the massive funds criminally wasted on animal research must be diverted to human-based health promotion and research where all hope of medical progress truly lies.

The authors also elucidate the revolutionary contributions of cutting-edge tissue and organ culture techniques, MRI, CAT and PET scans, state-of-the-art autopsy studies and computer modelling. My only criticism is, that in the two pages devoted to the subject, they embrace uncritically gene therapy and genetic screening, and do not mention the problems, dangers, risks, and bio-technology industry hype. It is imperative that animal rights campaigners are well-versed in the wealth of information revealed here to prove that animal research is bad science and that far more sophisticated alternatives are available. To this end, the authors have established Americans for Medical Advancement and an excellent web-site: www.curedisease.net.

Reviewed by Kathy Archibald, Animal Aid’s scientific adviser.
Sacred Cows and Golden Geese by C.R.Greek and J.S.Greek, Continuum Publishers, £16.99.