Hi Chief

I understand your sentiments. We all deplore cruelty to
animals. However, you might feel a little differently about
medical experimentation if you read the full history of the
discovery of insulin.

http://www.discoveryofinsulin.com/Experiments.htm
"Minkowski and Von Mering in 1899 had produced diabetes in
dogs by removing the pancreas.
<snip>
The principle that Banting had conceived in London, Ontario
was to ligate the pancreatic duct, allow for some weeks for
the acinar or pancreatic tissue to degenerate and then
remove the gland and make an extract of the remaining islet
tissue and inject this into dogs who previously had had
their pancreas removed, thus producing diabetes.
<snip>
Best assisted Banting in this surgical removal of the
pancreas and other surgical procedures required in the
experiments. Banting operated on several dogs, tying the
pancreatic ducts and from other dogs he removed the pancreas
and the effects on blood and urine in addition to the
welfare of the depancreatized dogs were studied.
<snip>
During this period, the dogs were more than experimental
animals. They became friends, the dogs seemed to understand
the importance of the experiment and were certainly,
according to the history, most co-operative with the
experiments.
(I have to admit - that quote is difficult to accept).
<snip>
At the end of July, Banting operated on one of the duct tied
dogs and found that the ligature had held and that the
pancreas had shrunk to about one-third of of its normal
size. The gland was removed, chopped up and ground in a
mortar with saline, strained and a small amount injected
into a vein of a depancreatized or diabetic dog. This animal
was observed very carefully and with anxiety, for there was
great concern that it may have toxic effects as earlier
experimenters had discovered. For a while there seemed to be
no change, then later to dog showed improvement. The animal
became a much more active and more important the blood sugar
levels were significantly reduced demonstrating the
soundness of Banting's theory."

Without tests on dogs back then, very few type, if any, 1's
would be posting here today.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
d&e, metformin 2x500mg