The Scalpel and the Butterfly - by Deborah Rudacille (Paperback)

About the Book

"We are entering a new era in the question of animal rights. Nowhere is this extremely important issue more cogently discussed than in "The Scalpel and the Butterfly." Those who believe, as I do, that animals have rights far beyond those that we at present accord them should arm themselves with the information in this valuable book."--Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
"Must reading for biomedical researchers and indeed for anyone concerned about the ethics of human and animal experimentation. Rudacille is fair to both camps--she exposes both the merits and the weaknesses of the animal rights advocates and of the researchers, and tellingly recounts changes in our attitudes over time that dramatically illustrate the need for open minds and the willingness to change behavior when warranted by the evidence."--Louis Lasagna, Tufts University School of Medicine

Book Synopsis

In this sweeping history of animal research and the animal protection movement, Deborah Rudacille examines the ethical question of whether enhancement of human life justifies the use of animals for research. She shows how the question and the answers provided by both scientists and anti-vivisectionists over the past 150 years have shaped contemporary society. Rudacille anchors her narrative in events from the lives of key players in the history of the war between science and animal protection, describing the work of activists who work outside the law as well as those working to change the system from within.

From the Back Cover

"We are entering a new era in the question of animal rights. Nowhere is this extremely important issue more cogently discussed than in The Scalpel and the Butterfly. Those who believe, as I do, that animals have rights far beyond those that we at present accord them should arm themselves with the information in this valuable book."--Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

"Must reading for biomedical researchers and indeed for anyone concerned about the ethics of human and animal experimentation. Rudacille is fair to both camps--she exposes both the merits and the weaknesses of the animal rights advocates and of the researchers, and tellingly recounts changes in our attitudes over time that dramatically illustrate the need for open minds and the willingness to change behavior when warranted by the evidence."--Louis Lasagna, Tufts University School of Medicine

Review Quotes

"U.S. scientists experiment on 14 million animals a year. Do health and safety benefits to humans justify the suffering of animals? Deborah Rudacille addresses the issue with fairness and respect to both science and its critics."--Rob Mitchell, "Boston Globe

About the Author

Deborah Rudacille was researcher/writer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing from 1992 to 1997. She is the coauthor of Animals and Alternatives in Testing: History, Science and Ethics (1994) and the author of The Riddle of Gender.