TED演讲 第5期:抑郁的狗 强迫症的猫(5)

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

One in five Americans is currently taking a psychopharmaceutical drug,from the antidepressants and antianxiety medications to the antipsychotics.  有五分之一的美国人 正在服用精神药物，从抗抑郁药 和抗焦虑的药物到抗精神病药。

It turns out that we owe this entire psychopharmaceutical arsenal² to other animals.  其实我们欠动物们一整个精神药物行业。这些药先在非人类动物身上测试。

These drugs were tested in non-human animals first,and not just for toxicity³ but for behavioral effects.  而且并不止测毒性 还会观察对行为的影响。

The very popular antipsychotic Thorazine first relaxed rats before it relaxed people.  一个非常常用的安定剂--冬眠灵第一个放松的是老鼠，而不是人类。

The antianxiety medication Librium was given to cats selected for their meanness in the 1950s and made them into peaceable felines⁴.  利眠宁抗焦虑的药物在上世纪50年代喂给根据恶劣程度挑选出的猫然后让它们变的听话又温顺。

And even antidepressants were first tested in rabbits.  还有一些抗抑郁药 首先在兔子身上测试。

Today, however, we are not just giving these drugs to other animals as test subjects,but they're giving them these drugs as patients,both in ethical⁵ and much less ethical ways.  今天，被喂药的动物不是测试对象而是病人。出于道德和不道德的原因。

SeaWorld gives mother orcas antianxiety medications when their calves⁶ are taken away.  美国海洋世界 在拿走逆戟鲸妈妈 的宝宝之后喂给她抗焦虑药物。

Many zoo gorillas⁷ have been given antipsychotics and antianxiety medications.  很多动物园的大猩猩都会被喂精神病药和抗焦虑药。

But dogs like my own Oliver are given antidepressants and some antianxiety medications to keep them from jumping out of buildings or jumping into traffic.  而狗狗，像我的奥利弗一样吃抗抑郁药和抗焦虑药是为了防止它们从楼房里跳出去，或跳进车来车往的交通。

Just recently, actually, a study came out in Science that showed that even crawdads responded to antianxiety medication. 最近，一篇在科学杂志发表的一项研究表明连喇蛄（一种淡水小龙虾）也会对抗焦虑药有反应。

It made them braver, less skittish⁸, and more likely to explore their environment. 药物让它们更勇敢，不那么惊慌，并且更容易让它们勘察它们的环境。

It's hard to know how many animals are on these drugs,but I can tell you that the animal pharmaceutical¹ industry is immense and growing, from seven billion dollars in 2011 to a projected 9.25 billion by the year 2015.  很难知道有多少动物 在服用这些药物，但我可以告诉你 动物制药业很强大且还在发展。从2011年的70忆美金到2015年预估的92.5忆。

Some animals are on these drugs indefinitely.  有些动物会无限期服用这些药物。

Others, like one bonobo who lives in Milwaukee at the zoo there was on them until he started to save his Paxil prescription⁹ and then distribute it among the other bonobos. 还有些，比如密尔沃基动物园的黑猩猩本来一直服用 帕罗西直到他把药藏起来，并且分给其他黑猩猩就停用了。

More than psychopharmaceuticals, though, there are many, many, many other therapeutic¹⁰ interventions¹¹ that help other creatures.  除了精神药物以外，市面是上还有很多很多为动物治疗的方案。

And here is a place where I think actually that veterinary medicine can teach something to human medicine,  而这里，我认为是人类药学可以向兽类药学学习的地方。

Which is, if you take your dog, who is, say,compulsively chasing his tail,into the veterinary behaviorist,their first action isn't to reach for the prescription pad. 就拿你的狗来说，他可能不停地追自己的尾巴,见了动物行为学家，而他的第一反应不是去拿处方药方。

It's to ask you about your dog's life.  而是问问你，你家狗狗的生活。

分享到：