vivisection

vivisection
—vivisectional, adj. —vivisectionally, adv.
/viv'euh sek"sheuhn/, n.
1. the action of cutting into or dissecting a living body.
2. the practice of subjecting living animals to cutting operations, esp. in order to advance physiological and pathological knowledge.
[1700-10; VIVI- + SECTION]

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Operation on a living animal for experimental rather than healing purposes; more broadly, all experimentation on live animals.

It is opposed by many as cruelty and supported by others on the ground that it advances medicine; a middle position is to oppose unnecessarily cruel practices, use alternatives when possible, and restrict experiments to necessary medical research (as opposed, for example, to cosmetics testing). Surgery on animals without anesthesia was once common; many people, most significantly Rene Descartes, claimed that animals did not really feel pain. Testing chemicals on animals to find the lethal dose still occurs despite alternative methods (computer simulations, tissue culture tests). An antivivisection movement in the late 19th century broadened its scope to include prevention of all cruelty to animals and later gave rise to the animal rights movement.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • vivisection — [ vivisɛksjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1765; de vivi et section, d apr. dissection ♦ Opération pratiquée à titre d expérience sur des animaux vivants. ⇒ dissection. Pasteur « éprouvait une véritable répugnance pour la vivisection » (Mondor). Adversaires… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Vivisection — is surgery conducted upon a living organism, typically animals with a central nervous system. A broader interpretation includes non behavioural experimental research involving living animals. [ [http://www.britannica.com/ebc/article 9382118?query …   Wikipedia

  • Vivisection — Viv i*sec tion, n. [L. vivus alive + E. section: cf. F. vivisection. See {Vivid}, and {Section}.] The dissection of an animal while alive, for the purpose of making physiological investigations. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Vivisection — • Defined literally the word vivisection signifies the dissection of living creatures Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Vivisection — (v. lat.), Eröffnung eines lebenden Körpers zum Behuf anatomisch physiologischer Untersuchungen, wurde schon von Erasistratos u. Herophilos (s.d.), von Letzterem an zum Tode verdammten Verbrechern vorgenommen; dies, bereits von Celsus lebhaft… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Vivisection — lat. deutsch, die Section lebendiger Thiere (zu wissenschaftlichen Zwecken) …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • vivisection — dissection of a living animal, 1707, from L. vivus alive (see VIVID (Cf. vivid)) + ending from DISSECTION (Cf. dissection)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • vivisection — ► NOUN ▪ the practice of performing operations on live animals for scientific research (used by those opposed to such work). DERIVATIVES vivisectionist noun & adjective vivisector noun. ORIGIN from Latin vivus living , on the pattern of… …   English terms dictionary

  • vivisection — [viv΄ə sek′shən] n. [< L vivus, alive (see BIO ) + SECTION] medical research consisting of surgical operations or other experiments performed on living animals to study the structure and function of living organs and parts, and to investigate… …   English World dictionary

  • Vivisection — La vivisection est une dissection opérée sur un animal vertébré[1] vivant, à titre d expérience scientifique, en particulier dans le but d établir ou de démontrer certains faits en physiologie ou en pathologie. D une manière générale, elle… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • vivisection — [[t]vɪ̱vɪse̱kʃ(ə)n[/t]] N UNCOUNT Vivisection is the practice of using live animals for scientific experiments. ...a fierce opponent of vivisection …   English dictionary

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