Richard J. Miller, The Rise and Fall of Animal Experimentation: Empathy, Science and the Future of Research: New York, USA: Oxford University Press, 2023. Pp. 1–291. £22.99. Hbk. ISBN 9780197665756

The historical continuity of the use of non-human animals in biomedical research is contingent upon several factors, most notably, the notion that human beings are superior to other animals and that non-human animals are not subjects of a life but rather mere objects that have a use-value. Miller’s book is not the first account of the historical development of animal experimentation, and it follows the work of many scholars such as Richard French and Nicolaas Rupke. Their work outlines vivisection’s rise and inculcation into standard biomedical research practice in the modern era, including its legal regulation, political resistance and morality. The Rise and Fall of Animal Experimentation draws on similar themes of ethics, politics, law and scientific practice. However, it offers a welcome departure from these previous interpretations by focussing on a history traced back to Greek antiquity. Miller demonstrates how the beliefs of the ancient Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, are still present in biomedical scientists’ justifications for using non-human animals in experiments.