This two year project allows a multi-disciplinary team of authors to prepare a text book of case studies illustrating ethical issues involved in human use of animals. The cases will focus particularly on the use of animals in scientific experiments, but will also include their use in numerous other settings. Cases will involve major historical events of the last decade, and others that are composites of important social issues. Authors include a physiologist, a philosopher, a lawyer and a veterinarian, to provide a range of expertise and viewpoints. Consultants will review the manuscripts, to provide oversight and further views. Major scholarly publishing houses will be solicited for interest in publication, and wide distribution of the book is anticipated. The cases are intended to serve a broad range of educational purposes. Target readership covers scientists, students, teachers and the public. Each have interest and need to understand the value judgments and conflicts surrounding human and animal interaction. In particular, scientists whose careers involve animal experimentation usually receive no instruction about the ethical dimensions of their work. But, in order to train teachers to introduce this material into their courses, they need texts. Currently there are few suitable sources. This project represents a fresh approach that has been used successfully in other fields of ethics.
