Sep03
Vivisector of the Month!
Posted at 09:01 AM | Permalink
| 
Comments (53)
 |
Let me begin by recognizing Marina Picciotto, whose primate addiction studies and mouse torture won her the undesirable title of Most Vile Vivisector last month. Her competitor was much-derided Allyson Bennett. Congrats, Marina—I'm certain Yale and all of New Haven are glad to have you!
This month, we have another two truly bizarre candidates … just see for yourself.
David Gozal of the Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute in Louisville has a bit of a problem. He is fascinated by erections—mouse erections, to be exact. He passes his days in the lab getting up close and very personal with little boy-mice, studying their erections and even severing their spinal cords so that they cannot move while experimenters observe their penises.
In his most recent study, "Erectile Dysfunction in a Murine [Mouse] Model of Sleep Apnea," which was funded in part by the federal government, Gozal measured the number of erections and ejaculations in dozens of mice after placing them in a chamber to deprive them of oxygen. Some mice were also given tadalafil, an erectile dysfunction drug. They were then killed by puncturing their hearts with a needle, and their testicles and penises were cut out of their bodies for examination. Gozal concluded that oxygen deprivation makes it more difficult to get an erection and that tadalafil, which is already prescribed (as “Cialis”) for humans with erectile dysfunction, works in mice.
 |
In another study, Traber heated an aluminum bar to nearly 400 degrees with a Bunsen burner and roasted the skin of live pigs on it for 30 seconds, creating a series of deep burns that covered 15 percent of their bodies. In order to repair the deliberately injured animals, Traber and colleagues then removed skin from the pigs' legs to graft over the areas that had been burned off. After living through all this torture, the pigs were killed. Again, this is only his most recent work—Traber has been burning, mutilating, and killing sheep for years.
Who should win? The Children's Hospital Vivisector or the Bunsen Burninator? As always, let me help you decide by posing a question: Would you rather be molested, stabbed in the heart, and have your genitals torn out, or would you rather be roasted alive over a Bunsen burner, forced to inhale the smell of your burning flesh, and then killed?
It's a burning question, isn't it?
Posted by Sean Conner
TAGGED:
Comments
Hey Sean,
Any chance you can share more info about Dr. Allyson Bennett at WFU? Feel free to email me directly. I live in W-S, NC.
Posted by: chris | September 3, 2008 10:38 AM
What a pair of creeps! Since both of these individuals obviously enjoy their gruesome handwork it is an almost impossible choice.But Traber gets my vote.
Posted by: Maureen | September 3, 2008 12:22 PM
Neither of them win, they both lose. They lose at being decent humans and if I ever came into contact with them I would spit in their face. How is vivisection legal? My school, UC Santa Cruz is about to build a biomedical facility that is going to do vivisection in the basement and we (animal rights activists) aren't sure how to make it not happen. Any thoughts? Thank you.
Posted by: Toni Longley | September 3, 2008 02:37 PM
Who dreams up these ridiculous wastes of taxpayers' money?
To intentionally burn any living being is sick beyond belief. How do these people sleep at night? Thus Traber gets my vote. (Gozal badly needs to go out on a date—with a human.)
Posted by: Mike Quinoa | September 3, 2008 04:53 PM
Toni Longley, you may want to check out www.pcrm.org (Physicians' Committee of Responsible Medicine) and to e-mail them concerning the situation you described at UC Santa Cruz. They specialize in such matters and have made many great accomplishments to eliminate vivisection in colleges and universities.
Best wishes to you and your goals.
Posted by: Jamie | September 3, 2008 05:13 PM
Interesting that you would choose to misrepresent these researchers' work. I think PETA's mission of insuring that animals aren't mistreated in research laboratories is admirable. However, in today's universities, both Dr. Gozal and Dr. Traber's research must have been approved by the very stringent Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee whose sole goal is to protect animals and insure that they do not suffer. Moreover, you fail to
mention the amazing contributions of both researchers to your and my basic care. Dr. Gozal's research, for example, has directly helped my family. I have a child who suffered from sleep apnea and the treatments developed by Dr. Gozal have literally saved my child's life.
It is convenient for you to misrepresent these two researchers because you fail to understand that your medical care is directly correlated to the research they perform. I'd like to see you take that position when your child suffers from brain cancer, severe burns on his body, or HIV. How upset would you be if the medical establishment had no cure because animal experimentation was illegal.
I also love animals and am disgusted when they are mistreated...I also love my son.
Posted by: George | September 3, 2008 05:23 PM
grrrrr.....!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Amanda | September 3, 2008 05:30 PM
THIS IS SO SICK. HOW CAN THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS . STUDYING A MOUSE ERECTION AND BURING PIGS .THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO AROUND A BURN A PIG. AND THE WHOLE ERECTION THING IS JUST GROSS! WHAT A PERVERT. AND THEY WENT TO MEDICAL SCHOOL.
Posted by: SASHA | September 3, 2008 07:50 PM
These people are both really gross. Though both these mad scientists make me sick, I was most affected by Traber's work. As a burn victim, with skin grafts covering my chest and shoulder, I can't understand why money is being pumped into practicing this procedure. Skin grafting has advanced as far as it is going to. Funds need to be redirected into studying how to speed up the process of growing human tissue in labs. The research being done on human cell growth is amazing, and because they have to be HUMAN cells no pigs are tortured in the process.
P.S-
Mouse wee-wees?
Posted by: Siobhan M. | September 3, 2008 10:43 PM
Wow... the pervert or the sicko? Both are incredibly disturbing. I vote Traber, however, because burning the flesh off of animals is far more gruesome and painful. How can you just sit there and watch them struggle and writhe in pain?
Posted by: Natalie | September 4, 2008 12:05 AM
traber gets my vote... burns are incredibly painful and cruel... and there are plenty of humans with burns out there who need treatment, whats stopping treatment experiments on those that are willing... at least then it will be relevant
Posted by: nicole | September 4, 2008 03:59 AM
Traber gets my vote.
Though, why is someone in a CHILDRENS hospital so concerned about erections? Sounds a little dodgey to me!
Posted by: Leigh | September 4, 2008 08:55 AM
I have had a child come to my house who had 40% of his body burned in a house fire in Venezuela. His village put all the money they could come up with to send him to Shriners here on Galveston island who Dr. Traber works with. We live in a society today who will shun the "not so pretty". The work "skin grafting" that they did on this four year old boy was BEAUTIFUL! He can now live with out the torture and humiliation that he would have had. He is now eight years old and a citizen of America. Without this research the life he lives now would have never been possible.
Posted by: Rachael | September 4, 2008 10:46 AM
Once again my post wasn't posted probably once again for my foul mouth, so I'll try to leave this one short but sweet! First off a "Congrats" is in order for Marina "Peabrain" Picciotto, for a job "not well" done!! Your "practices" "will not" go un-noticed untill it has completely stopped!! And second David "No-****" Gozal what the heck does erections have to do with sick children!?? You sicko!! And to Daniel Traber I had to tape my mouth shut to comment on you!! You both get 100% of my vote but an extra .5% goes to David Gozal!! You both are evil twins!!
Posted by: Carla | September 4, 2008 11:01 AM
George -- I work with a research transparency group and think your statements regarding Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) are very misleading. A recent OIG report found that IACUCs are grossly derelict in their duties as "first lines of defense" for animals, and NIH time and money has been placed into worthless "anti-animal activist" workshops when it would be better spent educating IACUCs effectively as to how to do their jobs (such as replacement, refinement, and reduction of animals in experiments). IACUC positions are often non-paid, and are treated as a pain-in-the-arse forced ex-officio service by many folks who sit on these committees, causing them to become a drab rubber-stamping committee rather than a thoughtful defender of the animals trusted to their care.
Posted by: Sinon Robert | September 4, 2008 11:36 AM
Sinon-- thanks for your comments regarding IACUC. I agree with you that the current system is not perfect. Instead of targeting the researchers, though, we should target the institutional boards. PETA has an amazing amount of power which we waste by commenting on research that for the most part we don't understand (e.g. I'm not sure what erections have to do with children unless their sexual function is affected as adults). However, many of these researchers make substantial contributions to medicine and really want to help people. It is obvious, though, that many of their experiments are unnecessary. PETA should pressure the universities to establish boards of scientists (i.e. effective IACUCs) who understand the research and can determine unanimously that the experiments truly aren't cruel and have a point. Like I said, I value human life and believe we can learn from animal experiments but I don't think we should take advantage of the privilege to use animals in research. For example, while Dr. Gozal has helped my son with his sleep apnea (which has had a profound impact on his behavior, his grades, and his personal interactions), I'm not sure that experiments on rodent penises to prove Cialis works are really needed...we already know it works!! We need to push the IACUC boards to do what they were intended to do!
Posted by: George | September 4, 2008 12:32 PM
I wonder if anyone remembers that human trial testing has a better results than any animal trials...
I dont think that having an ineffective committee is doing anything to improve the lives of these animals who are forced to ensure the testing.
Skin grafting has been around for years and no amount of burning a live pig's skin will re-invent the process.
I understand animals testing has been conducted for years, however when an alternative becomes available, it should ALWAYS be used.
If we could just stop thinking of "Poor us" all the time and realize what we do to other creatures that can feel pain, fear and torment.
We are better than this...
Posted by: Allie | September 4, 2008 02:51 PM
Impossible to choose as both are "educated" academic psychotic nutcases. The depravity of the human mind never ceases to amaze me.
Posted by: vegancoin | September 4, 2008 06:29 PM
Defenders of vivisection should note that many types of experiments vivisectors do on animals are redundant and just done for the money - burning and skin grafting being a prominent example. These type of experiments have unfortunately been done for decades so vivisectors should know by now everything they are going to know by burning animals.
But this still doesn't make it right. I'm sure that vivisection defenders would never advocate for the use of humans in research, and if it's not right to treat humans this way, then it's not right for animals either.
My vote goes to Traber - I can't imagine anything worse than being burned.
Posted by: Patricia Panitz | September 5, 2008 01:52 AM
Did these people not have anything to keep them busy as children? Who in their right minds would want to do something like this?!
I myself have probably benefited from procedures derived from animal testing... But I don't thank vivisectors for my being here. There are other ways of investigating things like that. They should be locked up, the sickos!
My vote goes to Traber. The creep probably stands there thinking of his disgusting bacon while he tortures the poor pigs... And the mice? There were some stupid pathetic girls a while ago over here who did the same thing... For fun! (they got away with community service, disgustingly) Maybe that's where he took his ideas for "research" from...
Posted by: Lisa | September 5, 2008 04:16 AM
another to throw into the worst group of human species!! they wouldn't do what they do to these animals to the worst humans on planet earth.. who commit heinous or vindictive crimes or callous mass massacres.. or even commit the worst crimes on planet earth.. but they do whatever they wish and please and cuase so much suffering to the most innocent and most harmless of animals..
sickening to the bottom pit of my stomach to even think of waht these people do INTENTIONALLY in the name of meaningless tests and theories.. to live animals and cuase them so much pain and suffering..
same goes for all the other exploitative uses of animals..
Posted by: bet | September 5, 2008 06:57 AM
I would have to give my vote to Gozal. He seems to be looked up at more that Traber, and the fact that he can look so cocky in any photo of him just makes my blood boil.
Posted by: Daniel | September 5, 2008 10:30 AM
Traber earns my vote! I hope no one ever throws a glass of acid in his face! :)
Peace for all animals!
Most of my heroes wear masks!
Posted by: Judith FFFA | September 5, 2008 03:13 PM
oh wow you really expect us to choose one over the other?
one is fascinated by mice's penises (EWWWWWW!!!) and another burns mice, makes them inhale smoke, some getting both forms of cruelty.
they are both losers in my book for making animals suffer in my opinion.
Posted by: erika | September 6, 2008 08:16 PM
Disgusting ! There are many, many non-animal alternatives available than burning pigs over and over again. Traber's job needs to come to an end.
Here is another vivisector of the month, that I am trying to stop:
http://myweb.dal.ca/mitchell/
Posted by: Amy | September 7, 2008 12:59 AM
PETA's goal is not just better treatment of animals in research, it is the eventual elimination of animals as subjects of research exploitation. It is simply speciesist to adhere to the belief that human life is more valuable than non-human life. Science, in any of it's forms, must be steered by ethics, even if it means imposing some limits on helping humans. Ethics dictates that we do not test on humans (although we do with or with out their consent). We cannot get consent from animals and therefore we do not have the right to use them. Their lives demand equal moral consideration as do ours. And yes, i do have children. I hope that they will be assisted by science not developed on animals. We have to understand that medical advancement towards human health (in all degrees) is not in and of itself an unconditional free pass to do whatever is 'necessary' to animals.
Posted by: John Carbonaro | September 7, 2008 10:51 PM
Very apt description of Gozal, Daniel! Maybe it's his fascination with mice erections that makes him cocky!
Well put, Judith!
My vote goes to Traber.
Posted by: lynda downie | September 7, 2008 11:09 PM
Well, I have to vote for Daniel Traber! There are many people who have been tragically burned and are desperate for help. Clinical studies are needed to help these people, not animal studies. Intentionally burning ANYONE is disgusting, and morally disgraceful. Daniel Traber, I pray that you wake up one morning and repent for all the needless, useless, suffering you have caused so many animals. I hope everyone reading this will pray for this man to find his conscience and his humanity. We all have a choice how we live our lives. I hope this man will soon find a way to support his family without getting paid to torture animals in experiments.
Posted by: Annette Byrne | September 9, 2008 11:54 PM
What goes around comes around - hopefully!
Posted by: Evi Pickavance | September 11, 2008 12:32 PM
I want to congratulate "George" who wrote a Sept 4th post. I could not have said it better myself. I have multiple sclerosis and am completely against any animal testing. My sister has Diabetes 1 and Addison's Disease and is also against animal testing. Yes, we are both very physically ill. Our diseases have no cures. But there are alternatives. Animal testing is deplorable. And there is never an excuse to hurt another creature. Never.
Posted by: Sibrina | September 11, 2008 12:42 PM
This is just sickening...
These people are just inhuman.
With all their intelligence why they don't put it to good use is beyond me!
Posted by: Lise Madsen | September 11, 2008 01:01 PM
Both of them are incredibly cruel but I feel that Dr. Gozal is so perverse that I would never take a child of mine to the Kosair Children´s Hospital.
Posted by: Beatriz Fechino de Pardo | September 11, 2008 01:49 PM
These pointless experiments are continued simply to obtain ongoing funding and grants. They are based on greed, just like the factory farms and fur trade. Isn't it amazing what depths and heinous actions people will lower themselves to for money?
Posted by: Annoula Myers | September 11, 2008 02:43 PM
It's quite discusting! I'm pretty speachless! Honestly!
I wonder what a human man would feel if he were castrated while awake!
HMMMMMM
Posted by: Janice Karpinen | September 11, 2008 04:22 PM
Why do they have to burn and mutilate these defenceless, vulnerable animals? I just don't get animal testing. Those in favour of vivisection say, ''Who would you rather save, your baby or your dog?'' I find this bizarre; as anyone who's got two brain cells to rub together could work out that we obviously don't react to chemicals etc etc in the same way! Besides- scientists can easily test how drugs will affect people by using computer programs. It shocks and upsets me: how we still resort to such barbaric means of 'research' in 2008!!! These sick folk should be named and shamed. This forum is great. I was looking at the job advertisements in the paper and it was actually advertising a position in a University as a vivisector! Surely that's not right???
Posted by: Emma Brown | September 11, 2008 06:08 PM
He needs to be locked up.
Posted by: Dawn | September 11, 2008 07:35 PM
traber. he just disgusts me.
and Jamie, is the life of ten humans worth the death of ten billion animals?
Posted by: lauren | September 11, 2008 08:36 PM
Hey George I wonder if you would be congratulating these monsters if the treatment on your son had backfired and done irrepairable damage to him or even worse killed him. Not all testing on animals ensures the same outcome will be evident in humans. The testing needs to be done on humans not animals. Shock horror I hear you gasp, why is it so acceptable to you for innocent creatures to be tortured and not more humane testing to be done on WILLING humans. I definately give my vote to Traber, he is a serial killer in the making. Grrr.
Posted by: Dee Dee | September 11, 2008 09:58 PM
I have no words except utter sadness in my heart. The only way i can deal with hearing about this cruelty is knowing that GOD SEES EVERYTHING. These disgusting beings will meet their maker. I believe that God provided everything we would need, i also believe God gave us animals for our pleasure, for companionship, love and laughter.. How dare these men inflict such pain and suffering on these gifts from the good Lord above.. I need to go have a good cry now..
Posted by: Tanisha | September 12, 2008 02:14 AM
The same old debate about vivisection...these good guys helped finding treatments for su, our family, and even our animals...but :
- so many different other solutions except torturing millions of animals
- a lot of treatments have been discovered BECAUSE they have chosen another way of research. Because the animal model is wrong in so many cases. Because it's dangerous to base some kind of research on animal models...
- I really wonder if these kind of guys feel pleasure when they torture animals. No, in fact, I'm sure of that. Too bad for them, they are not allowed to practise on human beings...
They make me feel like vomiting.....
Posted by: Mathilde VERNEREY | September 12, 2008 02:40 AM
What is wrong with these people??? How in the world are erections studies relevant to young children? And what kind of sick idiot burns animals for some perverted sense of pleasure (or so-called "research")? The burner wins, but only by a tenth of a percent.
Posted by: Katrina | September 13, 2008 09:11 PM
OMG ic cant belive this these guyz are sickos they get paid for this!!!!!!!!!!!!
They shold go to jail for this!!!!! THis Iz Cruel how can Daniel Traber do this to the poor little pigs they dont even get to deffentd themselves
Posted by: xotchi | September 15, 2008 10:52 AM
omg how can you do that to pigs or even animals i think it should be illegal!!!
Posted by: Ashleigh | September 18, 2008 10:04 AM
Daniel Traber gets my vote. There is no significent meaning for what he does. A terrible waste of life and money. Why make animals suffer for no reason. Such a cruel and evil person.
Posted by: Joycey Berry | September 21, 2008 08:49 AM
Stop This!
Posted by: Delliana of the Sea | September 21, 2008 08:51 AM
These are your tax dollars at work! The National Institutes of Health funds all these horrific animal experiments and Congress votes for the funding. The place to start is writing to the NIH and your congress/person, senators and object to your tax dollars being spent on animal experimentation when they are now alternatives to torturing animals which bring more accurate results and are less expensive. I wish Peta would post an experiment going on and tell us who to write to at the NIH. We need to start where all this starts!
I cannot decide who to vote for but they are both dispicable and I hope they get their rewards in the hereafter.
Posted by: Charly | September 21, 2008 09:42 AM
what goes around comes around you miserable dick...and I pray yours isn't able ro
Posted by: mirrell | September 21, 2008 04:15 PM
these sick sick sick people....can't anyone put a stop to this????i dont want to believe that no one can do anything about it...somone has to be able to stop this
Posted by: natasha vuletich | September 22, 2008 03:07 AM
And they say humans are the most civilized. These two jerks are nothing more than sadists who are only allowed animal victims....that we know of.
Posted by: Gwen Moore | September 22, 2008 10:15 AM
My vote:
DANIEL TRABER ..hands down, the worst!!
Medical advances have come so far in skin grafting and healing... all done at the expense of previous animal models... that Traber's study/research is simply redundant. Shut him down!
Mice, apnea and ED ?? Why?
Posted by: bigfanx | September 22, 2008 04:58 PM
This is SOOOO SICK HOW CAN A HUMAN DO THIS ??? WE ARE ALL GODS CREATIONS I AM SO SICK TO HEAR THIS HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING WHAT YOU JUST DID?? HOW CAN YOU HURT A LIVING THING THAT HAS A HEART JUST LIKE YOU AND IS BREATHING THE SAME AIR AS YOU ??? YOU ARE SICK!!!
God Bless
Elaine
Posted by: Elaine | September 24, 2008 10:03 PM
try a day in this life of your body donated to science while you are still in that body, then tell me this research is just and humane. why are we still testing the effects of smoking on primates? don't we yet know that smoking kills? just one of the idiot researches going on. the rest are just as senseless.
use yourself as your next victim, Dr., maybe then you will see how cruel you all are.
Posted by: sheila | September 28, 2008 07:54 AM
OMG how is that insane creepy guy allowed to be working in a childrens hospital??? Do all the parents know he is there? I certainly wouldnt let my chlid be in the same building as him. Traber gets my vote as I believe he is/will be a serial killer. Its incredible that these monsters get away with it because in normal society any of the things they are doing are considered as illegal cruelty to animals. Normal people get punished or imprisoned for such things yet these freaks dress it up as "science" and get away scot free. One rule for us different for them!
Most importantly each of the victims was a an individual who had their own likes and dislikes and capable of pain and happiness. And they were murdered horribly by these mentally ill freaks. There was no consent given and these monsters just sated their disgusting sadist pleasures and wasted these innocent lives. The irreverence of it is incredible.
Posted by: Red | October 4, 2008 04:50 PM