Hi

A great article, but my eye caught this statement:

but the few dogs used in these early experiments

I looked further, to try and understand how these dog experiments were carried out. It was apparently horrendous. Banting didn't know how to operate on the animals. He botched the procedures. According to Medical News Today Banting struggled with animal surgery, and 7 of the 10 duct-tied dogs died. He ran out of dogs and started to buy "black market" dogs on the street (that is, likely kidnapped animals). There doesn't seem to have been a premium on animal welfare.

The necessity for experimenting on animals, and its utility, are open questions. Much research exists that points to the unreliability of this sort of research. An article in the Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, The Flaws and Human Harms of Animal Experimentation, explains how this research often harms not only animals, but humans.

I think we have to keep in mind that there's a lot of money in the animal research industry. Both providers of animals (and associated products) and the researchers make billions. That's a powerful incentive to continue.

One thing that most people don't realize is that in the US the Animal Welfare Act specifically omits mice, birds and rats. While there are guidelines for animal care established by most institutes, the law does not protect these animals.

So sorry to top your wonderful, informative article with this tangential comment. I look forward to reading more from you. :)