Clearly, dissection is an essential part of the education of physicians, veterinarians, and research scientists in the life sciences, but is not equally obvious that dissection is an indispensable part of a high school biology course, or even college Biology 101. Nor am I unsympathetic to Apple Computer’s attempt to sell a program that simulates frog anatomy. She is certainly not the only student who has found the dissection of frogs and cats morally repugnant or emotionally distressing. Here at least is a high school student who abhors what she perceives to be cruelty to animals, and who is willing to stand up for her principles. Yet, I have a sneaking admiration for Jenifer Graham. I am not a vegetarian, I swat unanesthetized flies, and I approve of the use of animals in medical research and scientific education. Still, I have the feeling that the derisive tone of the editorial does little to advance the case for animal experimentation in science.
And the issue of animal rights can certainly do with a little humor. Koshland’s editorial is directed to scientists, not the general public. The obvious answer, he suggests, is to genetically engineer human beings that can photosynthesize their own food- Homo photosyntheticus. Why not replace mousetraps and fly swatters with computer programs, or at least enact legislation requiring that flies be anesthetized before they are swattedĬarried to its logical conclusion, implies Koshland, Jenifer Graham’s position should preclude even the eating of plants, which after all are living things. Better than a mousetrap?Īnd why not, he continues, let the Food and Drug Administration replace costly and time-consuming animal testing of drugs with computer programs. To spare students this trauma, Koshland suggests a computer simulation that fills the frog’s stomach with more consoling items – such as potato chips and soda pop.
COMPUTER FROG DISSECTION FULL
From such data, a moderately well-trained student should easily be able to deduce what the interior of a frog looks like” - without dissection.Ĭutting up a real frog would reveal a stomach full of flies, mosquitoes, and small grasshoppers, thereby subjecting students to the harsh reality of a world where animals eat animals. “There are a number of clues about the insides of a frogs,” writes Koshland, “such as that it arises from a tadpole, that it causes warts, and that it may turn into a Prince Charming when kissed by a beautiful princess. 29 editorial, Koshland attempts to reduce the positions of animal rights activists to absurdity. Then, a few weeks ago, into this thorny thicket steps Daniel Koshland, the editor of Science, the weekly journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.Ĭhapter 5: In his Jan. Animal rights is an inflammatory issue which seems to be fueled more by emotion than by reason - on both sides. It is claimed that the message is “offensive” to scientific educators, and “advances the cause of fanatics.” Apple pulls the commercial.Īnd perhaps that is where the story should end. The California Biomedical Research Association urges its members to write Apple president John Sculley protesting the commercial. So this year, I’m using my Apple II to study something entirely new - constitutional law.”Ĭhapter 4: Scientists and educators react to the Apple commercial with dismay.
But that got me into a lot of trouble, and I got a lower grade. That way, I can learn and the frog lives. I said I would be happy to do it on an Apple computer. With the help of animal rights activists, she sues, claiming violation of her constitutional rights.Ĭhapter 3: Enter Apple Computer and a program called “Operation Frog.” Jenifer appears in an Apple television commercial saying: “Last year in my biology class, I refused to dissect a frog. School officials say she must cut up the frog or get out of class.Ĭhapter 2: After a lively controversy, Jenifer gets a lowered grade, and her refusal to dissect the frog is noted on her transcript. She asks for permission to learn frog anatomy from a model or a computer simulation. Jenifer is a vegetarian and opposed to the unnecessary use of animals for food or research. Chapter 1: Jenifer Graham, a 15-year-old high school student in Victorville, California, refuses to dissect a frog in biology class.
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