Representation and practical accomplishment in the laboratory: when is an animal model good-enough?

Lewis, Jamie Thornton ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1065-6017, Atkinson, Paul Anthony ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7367-8160, Harrington, Jean and Featherstone, Katie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4999-8425 2013. Representation and practical accomplishment in the laboratory: when is an animal model good-enough? Sociology 47 (4) , pp. 776-792. 10.1177/0038038512457276

Preview

PDF Download (215kB) | Preview

Abstract

Biomedical science is dependent on standardised rodents. These lab-rats and lab-mice are different from their wild cousins. Interest in the genetic basis of a variety of phenotypes has meant that lab-rodents have been bred over many decades as resources for experimental science. We focus on the use of lab-rodents as animal models in the study of single-gene human medical conditions. The animals’ status as models is not a given. Scientists calibrate animals against the medical phenomena which they are intended to represent. In turn, human medical conditions and the patients who manifest them have to be calibrated against the rodent models. The creation of animal models and their interpretation is, therefore, part of the practical work of biomedical scientists and their adjustment is a key aspect in determining when the model is good-enough.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education) Healthcare Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > Q Science (General) R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	animals; calibration; health; human; measurement; models; practice; representation; standards
Publisher:	SAGE
ISSN:	0038-0385
Last Modified:	09 May 2023 13:27
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/39556

Citation Data

Cited 25 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item