Stereotaxic apparatus, United Kingdom, 1955-1965

Stereotaxic apparatus for holding small animals. c1960s.

Stereotactic (or stereotaxic) apparatus pinpoints areas of the brain. This could be for targeting electrodes, delivering radiation, or surgery. Investigations involving the brain, whether animal or human, must be precise and careful. This is so they do not unnecessarily damage the surrounding tissue. This apparatus is made of iron, brass and aluminum. It held small animals during experiments. The University of Oxford Physiology Department donated it to the Science Museum.

Animal experimentation for scientific and medical research remains controversial. One main argument has been whether the benefits of animal testing ever outweigh the moral issues. The first organised anti-animal experiments or anti-vivisection movements were at their peak in Britain in the 1870s and 1880s. Their actions led to tighter restrictions on who could perform experiments.