In the 60th year since the publication of The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique by W.M.S. Russell and R.L. Burch, we visited the W.M.S. and Claire Russell Archive at the University of Nottingham to discover, or confirm, answers to certain questions: the origins of the UFAW project which led to its writing; the relationship between Russell and Burch; the project plan; the origin of the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) concept; the drafting, publication and response to the appearance of the book; and the future careers of its authors. We report on our findings, though many other questions have yet to be answered.
RussellWMSBurchRL. The principles of humane experimental technique. London: Methuen, 1959, 238 pp.
2.
RussellWMS. The Three Rs: past, present and future. Anim Welfare2005; 14: 279–286.
3.
RussellWMS. The progress of humane experimental technique. Altern Lab Anim2009; 37: 277–283.
4.
BurchRL. The progress of humane experimental technique since 1959: a personal view. Altern Lab Anim1995; 23: 776–783.
5.
BallsM. Professor W.M.S. Russell (1925–2006): doyen of the Three Rs. AATEX2008; 14 (Special Issue): 1–7.
6.
BallsM. The origins and early days of the Three Rs concept. Altern Lab Anim2009; 37: 255–265.
7.
KirkRGW. Recovering The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique: the 3Rs and the humane essence of animal research. Sci Technol Hum Val2018; 43: 622–648.
8.
HubrechtRCCarterE. The 3Rs and humane experimental technique: implementing change. Animals2019; 9: 754–783.
9.
WickensSM. Science in the service of animal welfare: a chronicle of eighty years of UFAW. 2nd ed. Wheathampstead: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, 2007, 79 +xviii pp.
10.
Anon. Introduction. In: HumeCW (ed) Man and beast. Memorial Edition. Potters Bar: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, 1982, pp. 7–9.
11.
WordenAN (ed). The care and management of laboratory animals: handbook of the universities federation for animal welfare. 1st ed. London: Ballière, Tindall and Cox, 1947, 368 pp.
12.
HumeCW. The vivisection controversy in Britain. In: HumeCW (ed) Man and beast. Memorial Edition. Potters Bar: Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, 1982, pp. 57–70.
13.
RussellWMS. A research on the history and progress of humane experimental technique. UFAW Courier1955; 11: 16–20.
14.
RussellWMS. The increase of humanity in experimentation: replacement, reduction and refinement. Collected Papers – Laboratory Animals Bureau1957; 6: 23–25.
MedawarP. Animal experimentation in a medical research institute. In: MedawarP (ed) The hope of progress. London: Methuen, 1972, pp. 77–86.
18.
BallsM. The Three Rs concept of alternatives to animal experimentation. In: van ZutphenLFMBallsM (eds) Animal alternatives, welfare and ethics. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science, 1997, pp. 27–41.
19.
StephensMLGoldbergAMRowanAN. The first forty years of the alternatives approach: refining, reducing, and replacing the use of laboratory animals. In: SalemDJRowanAN (eds) The state of the animals: 2001. Washington: Humane Society Press, 2001, pp. 121–135.
20.
ScottWN. The history and impact of UFAW. Int J Stud Anim Prob1980; 1: 14–17.
21.
SnowCP. The two cultures. London: New Statesman, 1956, p. 413.
22.
PaskalC. Finding the courage: the unconventional lives of WMS and Claire Russell. Altern Lab Anim2007; 37 (Supplement 2): 101–106.
23.
PaskalC. Bill Russell: the singing scientific detective. Altern Lab Anim2006; 34: 470–472.
