I cried when I read this article.

First of all, it is not necessary to shoot live animals to re-create injuries, like Kathy Guillermo stated. I’ve seen Mythbusters rig up a dummy with human-like tissues to use in their experiments. Like she said, medical schools have done away with using animals in their training, and they train doctors.

Secondly, if the animals are anesthetized the entire time, then it isn’t going to be life-like anyway. A soldier who has been shot isn’t going to lie still and calm while treatment is performed, he or she will be freaking out and going into shock. Which is actually something that maybe a synthetic dummy could replicate.

Finally, I cried because I suspect this exercise has nothing to do with treating the injured and everything to do with preparing our soldiers for combat. Maybe they need to shoot something living, like some rite of passage. It made me immediately think of that scene in The Bourne Supremacy where Matt Damon finally shoots the guy wearing the hood as part of his training.

It’s all just too sad, whatever the reasons.

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