The first wave of protest against animal research began over a hundred years ago and lasted for about 40 years. The present wave of protest has only existed for the past 20 years but it is already far more serious, and more violent, than the first. In this Special Feature, Mark Matfield reviews the history of the animal liberation movement, and predicts that unless the scientific community makes a greater effort to inform the public about why animal research is necessary and the humane way in which it is conducted, pharmacological and other areas of biomedical research could become seriously restricted.
