A veterinarian offers an insider's perspective on the ethics of using animals in scientific research.

Carbone grapples with how to weigh scientific advancement against harms to our fellow sentient creatures.

He urges young people not to turn away from science—improve it!

Better welfare produces better data.

Countless millions of nonhuman animals (animals) of all sorts are used in a diverse array of laboratory research. Their treatment varies from being unspeakably inhumanely abused to being treated with kindness, depending on the questions at hand and the values and attitudes of the researchers themselves. The lives of these animals truly are hidden, and most people are incredulous when they learn that laboratory rats and mice still are not considered "animals" under the current federal Animal Welfare Act. The ways in which these intelligent sentient beings are used in invasive experiments demands deep reflection.

Lifelong veterinarian Larry Carbone has seen it all; for this and other reasons, I was excited to learn about his new book The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals: A Vet's Vision for a More Humane Future. In his semi-autobiographical work, Larry offers a vision for more compassionate research while discussing both heartening medical successes and heartrending stories of animal suffering. The book's description nicely summarizes what this important book is all about: "Authoritative and compassionate, The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals reveals the complex reality of what animals experience under the care of scientists, what humans gain from their involuntary service, and what we owe them moving forward."Marc Bekoff: Why did you write The Hidden Lives of Lab Animals?Larry Carbone: I’ve spent my life as a veterinarian in animal research labs, caring for mice, monkeys, dogs, and many others. People hear wildly different things about animal research—some say it’s cruel and useless, others say it’s essential and humane—but few know what actually happens inside. I want to give readers an insider’s look at........

© Psychology Today