Unnecessary Fuss is a film showing footage shot inside the University of Pennsylvania's Head Injury Clinic in Philadelphia. The footage was shot in 1983–1984 by the researchers themselves as they inflicted brain damage on baboons with a hydraulic device. The experiments were conducted as part of a research project into head injuries caused by vehicle and sports accidents.
Charles McCarthy, director of the Office for Protection from Research Risks (OPRR) wrote that the film had overstated the deficiencies in the clinic, but that the OPRR had found serious violations of the Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.As a result of the publicity, the lab was closed, the chief veterinarian fired, and the university placed on probation.