 |
Ask A Scientist©
Biology Archive
|
 |
Dissecting frogs
Author: corey kepler
Text: Is using frogs for dissection necessary?
Response #: 1 of 1
Author: moodywj
Text: On the moral question, I believe that some dissection is
necessary in the reaching of biology. The history of human understanding of
the body and its diseases illustrates this: the ability to treat disease
became much better after we began looking at the structure of our own bodies
and those of animals. The same hold for teaching: you really need to see the
actual structures to begin to understand how they work. Do we do too much of
it? I am not sure. But specifically about frogs, I am concerned that too
many are being used. Many species are becoming threatened around the world by
the destruction of their habitats. The main threat in the US is the
development of shopping malls and the like in outlying rural areas, especially
in the Midwest. I think it is better to use species that can be bred in
captivity and that are not endangered, such as rats, for teaching purposes.
NEWTON is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators.
Argonne National Laboratory, Division of Educational Programs, Harold Myron, Ph.D., Division Director.