SIR: Do readers ever wonder if animal rights activists are accurate when rubbishing animal research, as in recent letters to your newspaper? Or could the letters just be airing their authors' extreme opinions?

Separating science fact from science fiction can be difficult. So, as a patient suffering from a rare incurable disease, and, as the Director of Seriously Ill for Medical Research (SIMR), I asked every living Nobel prizewinner in medicine or physiology about the use of animals in medical research. They unanimously agreed about the need for animals to advance medicine, even though many of them did not themselves use animals in their research.

Now readers can accept either the unanimous opinion of Nobel prizewinners or the nonsense of animal rights activists. As a patient, I know who I trust.

SIMR is a patients' group which supports the humane use of animals and genetic technology where necessary in medical research. SIMR members suffer from illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and many, many more. As patients, we are willing to stand up in support of research which is aimed at improving our health. I encourage other patients to join us.

Readers can write to me at SIMR for further details and a free report on the Nobel prizewinners survey.

?Andrew Blake,

Director,

SIMR,

PO Box 504, Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU6 2LU.

Tel: 01582 873108.

Fax: 01582 873705. ?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.