When it comes to the subjects of the experiment, many people think of the mice. On the one hand, the gene sequence of white mice is similar to that of human and is suitable for clinical research. On the other hand, they are small, low-cost, easy to manipulate.
Behind today's advanced science, there are countless small lives dedicated to research. Of course, killing these small animals is not the intention of the researchers, as long as the attitude of saving more lives, many researchers can convince themselves.
However, Jackson Ryan, a doctoral student from UniSA, can't stand it. He says he killed 563 rats in four years and was condemned by his conscience.
"every day, scientists sit there, in a shoe-box-size space, killing rats for three to four hours a day."
After work every night, he scrubbed his skin to get rid of the anesthetic until it was red. "No one talks about these things," he said. Countless animals have died for science, but their short lives are rarely mentioned in the news, except for occasional animal studies or preclinical trials. "
He says he doesn't understand how people who work on it do it every day and how they get rid of their inner struggles.
When he opened his eyes in the morning, he realized that he had to kill 15 rats.
"if I stayed in science, would I still kill rats? No. Because I don't like this cold-blooded process. "
Ryan was reportedly inspired by his biology teacher in 11th grade and was on the road to scientific research. From 2012 to 2016, he studied for his doctorate at UniSA.
He then oversaw a project on vitamin D metabolism, which required the study of bone models.
But the researchers couldn't cut open the human body for experiments, and so poor mice were chosen.
Ryan's project is to compare transgenic mice with normal mice, which requires blood, bones and organ samples.
He anesthetized mice so they could not feel pain, and made it easier for scientists to "extract blood from the heart while the mouse was alive to better understand the concentration of minerals in its blood when it died."
Ryan binds each mouse before opening its chest.
"A heart smaller than your fingernails beats in front of you," Ryan describes the first time you see it. "it's like all the air in your lungs is coming out of your mouth. But when you see it 400 times, you become dull and numb, but you still don't feel comfortable. Your hands are no longer trembling, but your breasts are still tight. "
Then the organs were collected and the body of the hollowed rat was dumped in a locked bag.
It is reported that rats, guinea pigs and sheep are the most commonly used animals in research and teaching in South Australia.
They are allowed to be used in scientific research, but are also regulated by the South Australian Animal Welfare Act 1985.
Under the Act, universities are permitted to acquire and use animals for their research and teaching purposes. But the experiment must meet strict standards and must be approved by the Animal ethics Committee.
Ryan said he understood how important mice and other animals are in medical research to save humans, but that he personally never wanted to see it again.
He said he would never forget the 563 rats who died in his own hands.
Now, Ryan has found a job as a children's TV host.
Maybe the job will bring him comfort and happiness, at least he won't have to face the "unbearable weight" of scientific experiments.