what is their role in research and science?
Italian biologists Marcello Malpighi and Carlo Fracassati conducted vivisections of this animal in their examinations of anatomic structures.
Guinea pig
The use of guinea pigs in scientific experimentation dates back at least to the 17th century, when the Italian biologists Marcello Malpighi and Carlo Fracassati conducted vivisections of guinea pigs in their examinations of anatomic structures.
where does the name guinea pig come from From Latin for "little pig"; derived from "cabiai", the animal's name in the language of the Galibi tribes once native to French Guiana
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Guinea pig [SEP] In scientific research
The use of guinea pigs in scientific experimentation dates back at least to the 17th century, when the Italian biologists Marcello Malpighi and Carlo Fracassati conducted vivisections of guinea pigs in their examinations of anatomic structures. In 1780, Antoine Lavoisier used a guinea pig in his experiments with the calorimeter, a device used to measure heat production. The heat from the guinea pig's respiration melted snow surrounding the calorimeter, showing that respiratory gas exchange is a combustion, similar to a candle burning. Guinea pigs played a major role in the establishment of germ theory in the late 19th century, through the experiments of Louis Pasteur, Émile Roux, and Robert Koch.