Horlicks is yum!!! [Mia, I bet you'd like Horlicks if you had the chance to share a mug with Alan?]

Oh no, DanB! Pink wafer biscuits are GORGEOUS and energy drinks are just plain yuck! I'll stick to a nice cup of coffee :o)

Excellent, glad there were no slapped wrists! :o)

I think the key questions is were you the only author on the abstract? If so, you have less to worry about. If you also put your supervisors down as co-authors (as is often the case with PhD students), then they may be unhappy about having their name against some work that they didn't get a chance to approve (I know I would be in big trouble if I did this!). Don't want to worry you though, you know your supervisors and how they are likely to react.

mare

Keep paper and pencil by your bed so when you are fretting about something you need to do or you have an idea about something, write it down. It's then in a 'to be dealt with later' list and you can switch off for now, works for me anyway!

I also find the sleep aromatherapy products help too (try the Boot's Sleep Well range or Badger Sleep balm which you rub on your temples).

Yeah, I advise lots of grovelling! Were they co-authors? In which case they should really have given their approval before you submitted and might be slightly cross. How about saying apologies for submitting this without showing you first (then explain about the tight deadline etc). You could then offer to withdraw the abstract if they are not happy. They are unlikely to ask you to do this but it shows willing on your part and puts the ball back in their court.

Good luck!

That's a good one H! Dare we ask about your mental images?

I'd like to meet Robert Llewellyn (presenter of'Scrapheap Challenge' and 'Hollywood Science' and played Kryton in Red Dwarf).

I would NOT want to meet Trinny and/or Susannah, or Gillian 'I've got a dodgy internet PhD' McKeith!

Just to clarify, I have never (and would never) become involved in any kind of animal work and like you (and I'm sure, any compassionate person) I wish there was no such thing as animal experimentation.

As you say, society does (or should) know better and The Animals Act of 1986 insists that no animal experiments be conducted if there is an alternative. Unfortunately, it seems that the current situation is that the development of all new medicines requires at least some animal testing. So society must accept that if there is no animal testing there will be no new medicines. With the current threat of avian ‘flu, the need for new medicines and vaccines (for both animals and humans) is higher than ever. Society has some tough decisions to make.

As for the leather belt/shoes analogy, surely that is like someone deciding to become a vegetarian and then finding a beef lasagne in the freezer a week later and eating it anyway, because else it would be a waste? I appreciate your point that using stuff you already have has no effect on demand (and hence, doesn’t encourage further manufacture of leather based goods), but would you feel the same about someone with a old fur coat in their wardrobe? Would it be acceptable to wear that?

NB not trying to ‘catch you out’ here, I think there is a big difference between a pair of leather shoes (which I would wear) and a fur coat (which I would never wear) in terms of ethical acceptability, but really they are effectively both animal skins? I guess it’s like you say, you have to do your best and find what you are comfortable with.

Hi Crystal

Yes, it is nice to have a proper debate :o)

Re: new vs older drugs
When a drug has been licensed for treating a human medical condition, there is no further need for continued animal testing. Testing on animals is done at a very early stage to establish the drug's basic pharmacological effects and to examine potential acute and chronic toxicities. Once the drug has been approved for human use (following successful phase 1 (first time in man studies) and then proven efficacy in patients), then any further development (dose optimization for example) continues in humans.

Continued in next post…

Sure, I agree that it's all about being able to make your own choices and doing your best to follow a life style that you feel comfortable with and if that works for you then great.

Personally, I don't see the difference between a drug tested on animals 10 years ago and one tested on animals last year, other than the fact that the more recently developed drug is likely to have involved less animal testing (due to improved technology) and under much more stringent regulations too.

Glad it's all worked out!! :oD

Don't work all night, you'll just be totally shattered tomorrow and won't be able to do your best work. Do a few extra hours then go home and have a good meal and an early night. Take care of yourself!!