At the recent Fourth World Congress on Alternatives in New
Orleans, The HSUS presented the 2002 Russell & Burch Award
to Dr. David Morton for his extensive work in the development
and promotion of refinement techniques that minimize pain and
distress experienced by research animals.
Dr. Morton serves as a professor and head of the Department
of Biomedical Science and Biomedical Ethics at the University
of Birmingham in England. He also serves as the director of the
university's Unit of Biomedical Services, which provides
laboratory animal management services. Through his research,
writings, and participation in alternatives conferences and
other professional activities, Dr. Morton has been one of the
world's leading figures in the field of refinement since the
1980s.
Specifically, Dr. Morton developed scoring systems for
assessing the impact of experimental procedures on the welfare
of laboratory animals. These systems not only provide an
overall measure of the impact in terms of animal suffering and
harm, they are also used to identify early clinical signs that
reliably predict experimental outcomes, such as death. Once
identified, these early signs (e.g., changes in body
temperature) can often be substituted for the standard
endpoints, which typically is death. This process thereby
allows the termination of experiments before the onset of
severe pain, distress, or death, and it spares the animals the
associated suffering. Such refinements have come to be known as
"humane endpoints," a field that Dr. Morton has pioneered.
"Our expert panel of judges, many of whom are past
recipients of the Russell & Burch Award, were impressed not
only with professor Morton's technical contributions to the
field of alternative methods, but also with his tireless
advocacy of refinement techniques as a means of improving both
animal welfare and science," says Dr. Martin Stephens, HSUS
vice president for animal research issues.
The HSUS presents the Russell & Burch Award to
scientists who have made outstanding contributions toward the
advancement of alternative methods in the areas of biomedical
research, testing, or higher education. Alternative methods are
those that can replace or reduce the use of animals in specific
procedures, or refine procedures so that animals experience
less pain or suffering. Candidates for the award are judged on
the scientific merit of their contribution to the alternatives
field and on their professional commitment to this field.
The award, which carries a $5,000 prize, is named in honor
of William M. Russell and Rex L. Burch, the scientists who
formulated the Three Rs approach of replacement, reduction, and
refinement. The award is bestowed every three years at the
World Congress on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life
Sciences, which this year was hosted primarily by The HSUS.
(Pictured in photo: Dr. Andrew
Rowan, HSUS chief of staff and senior vice president for
research, education and international issues; Dr. David Morton;
and Paul G. Irwin, president and CEO of The HSUS.)
