THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 14, 1996 TAG: 9610120018
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 26 lines
I was saddened to see Neal Barnard's recent opinion piece (Sept. 24) discounting the benefits of animal research.
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is closely aligned with ``animal rights'' groups and, despite its title, is a lay organization, not a physician organization. According to its own admission, bona-fide physicians constitute less than 10 percent of total membership. Barnard serves as the scientific adviser to the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, from which PCRM received funding in 1995.
Dr. Barnard's psychiatric training not withstanding, the physicians of the American Medical Association disagree with his conclusions and find many of his arguments dumbfounding, to say the least. Animal research - followed by human clinical study - is absolutely necessary to find the causes and cures for so many deadly threats from AIDS to cancer.
DANIEL H. JOHNSON JR., M.D.
President
American Medical Association
Chicago, Sept. 26, 1996 by CNB