Ethical issues in stress research: facts, fiction, and rational decisions

The controversy over the use of animals in stress research is partly based on the assumption that we know what is and what is not stressful and pathological for the organism. The data show that our intuitive preconceptions are often misguided. Any understanding of the stress phenomenon and its relationship to disease must be founded on hard empirical data. Discussion of the use of animals in stress research should also take into account the consequences of work in this area for the well-being of animals and man.