Animal Laboratory Exercises in Medical School Curricula

The use of laboratory exercises involving animals in medical education is a subject of ongoing interest. Updated information is not often available, however, on the prevalence of such exercises or of alternatives to their use. In May 1994, a questionnaire on the use of animal laboratory exercises and suitable alternatives was sent to the chairpersons of the physiology, pharmacology and surgery departments of each of the 126 US medical schools. In comparison with earlier surveys, the information returned showed that the number of medical schools reporting the use of laboratory animals in physiology appears to have declined from over 50% to 41%, the number of schools reporting the use of laboratory animals in pharmacology courses appears to have declined from 25% to 16%, and the number of schools that reported the use of laboratory animals in surgery courses increased from around 20% to 30%. For the 53 schools that returned information from all three disciplines, 49% reported having no laboratory exercises involving animals in any of these disciplines. Computer programs and films were the most commonly used non-animal alternatives offered in physiology and pharmacology, while operating room experience was the most common alternative offered in surgery courses.