EACH year three million animals used in laboratories are socially isolated, made to live in confined cages to induce symptoms of psychiatric illness.

Animals are given drugs, alcohol and substances they would never use in nature.

They do not display the same clinical symptoms as humans, which is why animals are poor models for psychiatric illness.

Artificially-induced disease in experimental animals is irrelevant to the study of human disease.

Real advances in medicine have come from human clinical studies. Billions of pounds, time and effort are wasted on animal experiments.

To cause needless suffering to defenceless animals is no way to pursue a quest for health. It debases not only those who practice it, but also the society which tolerates it.

SHEILA BRENNAN, Bombay Street, Blackburn.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.