“The Animals Suffer for Humans” The Serum-Producers and the Istituto Sieroterapico Vaccinogeno Toscano (Serum-Therapic Vaccines Producer Tuscan Institute)

Abstract

Since its establishment in 1904, the Istituto Sieroterapico Vaccinogeno Toscano, under the guidance of Achille Sclavo, affirms itself as one of the leading plant for the production of serums for curative finalities and vaccines for the prevention and eradication of infectious diseases. Inspired by a documentary produced by the Institute in the ‘50s, “The animals suffer for humans” this essay studies the use of animals for research purposes. Since the first Sclavo’s studies on carbuncle, animals are fundamental for the production of both serums to test the preventive and curative properties of the products with a twofold objective: the creation of products with therapeutic usefulness to humans but also for the veterinary field. Between the two World Wars the use of animals was essentially limited to the serums production while for the vaccines, mostly bacterial, were increasingly produced from in vitro cultures.