,libraries47 ,,vivisection ,,by ,,albert ,,leffingwell1 ,m4 ,d4 ,,new ,,york3 ,,john ,w4 ,,lovell ,,company1 #ad ,,and #af ,,vesey ,,street4 ,,to ,a ,memory of ,friendship4 ,,preface4 ,to the ,,century ,,company of ,new ,york1 in the pages of whose magazine1 then known as ,scribner's ,monthly1 the first of the following essays originally appeared in ,july1 #ahhj1 the thanks of the writer are due for permission to re-publish in the present form4 ,for a like courtesy on the part of the proprietors of ,,lippincott',s ,,magazine1 in which the second paper was first published ,aug41 #ahhd1 the writer desires to make due acknowledgment4 ,,introduction4 ,the first of the ,essays following appeared in ,,scribner',s ,,monthly1 in ,july1 #ahhj2 and immediately became honored by the attention of the ,medical ,press throughout the country4 ,the aggressive title of the paper1 justified1 in great measure1 perhaps1 the vigor of the criticism bestowed4 ,again and again the point was raised by reviewers that the problem presented by the title1 was not solved or answered by the article itself4 ,at this day1 it perhaps may be mentioned that the question--,does ,vivisection ,pay8 was never raised by the writer1 who selected as his title the single word ,vivisection4 ,the more taking headline was affixed by the editor of the magazine as more apt to arrest attention and arouse professional pugnacity4 ,that in this latter respect it was eminently successful1 the author had the best reason to remember4 ,with this explanation--which is made simply to prevent future criticism on the same point--the old title is retained4 ,if the present reader continues the inquiry here presented1 he will learn wherein the writer believes in the utility of vivisection1 and on the other hand1 in what respects and under what conditions he very seriously questions whether any gains can possibly compensate the infinitely great cost4 ,what do you hope for or expect as the result of agitation in regard to vivisection8 recently inquired a friend2 its legal abolition8 ,certainly not1 was the reply4 ,would you then expect its restriction during the present century8 ,hardly even so soon as that4 ,it will take longer than a dozen years to awaken recognition of any evil which touches neither the purse nor personal comfort of an ,american citizen4 ,all that can be hoped in the immediate future is education4 ,action will perhaps follow when its necessity is recognized generally2 but not before4 ,for myself1 ,i believe no permanent or effective reform of present practices is probable until the ,medical ,profession generally concede as dangerous and unnecessary that freedom of unlimited experimentation in pain1 which is claimed and practiced to-day4 ,that legislative reform is otherwise unattainable1 one would hesitate to affirm2 but it assuredly would be vastly less effective4 ,you must convince men of the justice and reasonableness of a law before you can secure a willing obedience4 ,yielding to none in loyalty to the science1 and enthusiasm for the ,art of ,healing1 what standpoint may be taken by those of the ,medical ,profession who desire to reform evils which confessedly exist8 ,i4 ,we need not seek the total abolition of all experiments upon living animals4 ,i do not forget that just such abolition is energetically demanded by a large number of earnest men and women1 who have lost all faith in the possibility of restricting an abuse1 if it be favored by scientific enthusiasm4 ,let us take1 they say1 the upright and conscientious ground of refusing all compromise with sin and evil1 and maintaining our position unflinchingly1 leave the rest to ,god4,a ,this is almost precisely the ground taken by the ,prohibitionists in national politics2 it is the only ground one can occupy1 provided the taking of a glass of wine1 or the performance of any experiment1--painless or otherwise1--is of itself an evil and a sin4 ,there are those1 however1 who believe it possible to oppose and restrain intemperance by other methods than legislative prohibition4 ,so with the prohibition of vivisection4 ,admitting the abuses of the practice1 ,i cannot yet see that they are so intrinsic and essential as to make necessary the entire abolition of all physiological experiments whatsoever4 ,a ,report of ,american ,anti-,vivisection ,society1 ,jan'y #cj1 #ahhh4 ,,ii4 ,we may advocate 7and ,i believe we should advocate7--the total abolition1 by law1 of all mutilating or destructive experiments upon lower animals1 involving pain1 when such experiments are made for the purpose of public or private demonstration of already known and accepted physiological facts4 ,this is the ground of compromise--unacceptable1 as yet1 to either party4 ,nevertheless it is asking simply for those limitations and restrictions which have always been conceded as prudent and fair by the medical profession of ,great ,britain4 ,speaking of a certain experiment upon the spinal nerves1 ,dr4 ,m4 ,foster1 of ,cambridge ,university1 one of the leading physiological teachers of ,england1 says3 ,i have not performed it and have never seen it done1 partly because of horror at the pain necessary4 ,and yet this experiment has been performed before classes of young men and young women in the ,medical ,schools of this country6 ,absolutely no legal restriction here exists to the repetition1 over and over again1 of the most atrocious tortures of ,mantegazza1 ,bert and ,schiff4 99 99 99 99 99 ,this is the vivisection which does not pay1--even if we dismiss altogether from our calculation the interests of the animals sacrificed to the demand for mnemonic aid4 ,for the great and perilous outcome of such methods will be--finally--an atrophy of the sense of sympathy for human suffering4 ,it is seen to-day in certain hospitals in ,europe4 ,can other result be expected to follow the deliberate infliction of prolonged pain without other object than to see or demonstrate what will happen therefrom8 ,will any assistance to memory1 counterweigh the annihilation or benumbing of the instinct of pity8 ,upon this subject of utility of painful experiments in class demonstrations or private study1 ,i would like to appeal for judgment to the physician of the future1 who then shall review the experience of the medical student of to-day4 ,in his course of physiological training1 he or she may be invited to see living animals cut and mutilated in various ways1 eviscerated1 poisoned1 frozen1 starved1 and by ingenious devices of science subjected to the exhibition of pain4 ,on the first occasion such a scene generally induces in the young man or young woman a significant subjective phenomenon of physiological interest2 an involuntary1 creeping1 tremulous sense of horror emerges into consciousness1--and is speedily repressed4 ,this feeling1 he whispers to himself1 is altogether unworthy the scientific spirit in which ,i am now to be educated2 it needs to be subdued4 ,the sight of this inarticulate agony1 this prolonged anguish is not presented to me for amusement4 ,i must steel myself to witness it1 to assist in it1 for the sake of the good ,i shall be helped thereby to accomplish1 some day1 for suffering humanity4 ,praiseworthy sentiments1 these are1 indeed4 ,are they founded in reality8 ,no4 ,the student who thus conquers squeamishness will not see one fact thus demonstrated at the cost of pain which was unknown to science before2 not one fact which he might not have been made to remember without this demonstrative illustration2 not one fact--saddest truth of all--that is likely to be of the slightest practical service to him or to her in the multiplied and various duties of future professional life4 ,why1 then1 are they shown8 ,to help him to remember his lesson6 ,admit the value to the student1 but what of the cost8 ,in one of the great cities of ,china1 ,i was shown1 leaning against the high wall of the execution ground1 a rude1 wooden frame-work or cross1 old1 hacked1 and smeared with recent blood-stains4 ,it was used1 ,i was told1 in the punishment of extreme offenses2 the criminal being bound thereto1 and flayed and cut in every way human ingenuity could devise for inflicting torture before giving an immediately mortal wound4 ,only the week before1 such an execution had taken place2 the victim being a woman who had poisoned her husband4 ,a young and enthusiastic physician whom ,i met1 told me he had secured the privilege of being an eye witness to the awful tragedy1 that he might verify a theory he had formed on the influence of pain2 a theory perhaps like that which led to ,mantegazza's crucifixion of pregnant rabbits with dolori atrocissimi4,a ,science here caught her profit from the punishment of crime1 but the gain would have been the same had her interest alone been the object4 ,there is always gain1 always some aid to memory2--but what of the cost8 ,a ,see ,appendix1 page #hc4 ,it cannot be expected that any ,medical ,college1 of its own accord and without outside pressure1 will restrict or hamper its freedom of action4 ,as a condition of prosperity and success it cannot show less than is exhibited by other medical schools2 it must keep abreast of advanced thought1 and do and demonstrate in every way what its rivals demonstrate and do4 ,there can be no question but that there is to-day a strong public demand for continental methods of physiological instruction4 ,who make this demand8 ,you1 gentlemen1 students of medicine1 and they who follow in your pathway4 ,this year it is you who silently request this aid to your memory of the physiological statements of your text books2 another year1 another class of young men and young women1 occupying the same benches1 or filling the same laboratory1 repeats the demand for the same series of illustrations4 ,you1 perhaps1 will have gone forward to take your places in active life1 to assume the real burdens of the medical profession4 ,to those succeeding years of thought1 reflection and usefulness1 let me appeal1 respecting the absolute necessity of all class demonstrations and laboratory work involving pain4 ,postpone if you please1 the ready decision which1 fresh from your class-room1 you are perhaps only too willing to give me to-day2 ,i do not wish it4 ,but some time in the future1 after years have gone by1 remembering all you have seen and aided in the doing1 tell us if you can1 exactly wherein you received1 in added potency for helping human suffering and for the treatment of human ills1 the equivalent of that awful expenditure of pain which you are now demanding1 and which by unprotesting acquiescence1 you are to-day helping to inflict4 ,,boston1 ,,mass41 ,march1 #ahhi4 ,from ,,scribner',s ,,monthly1 ,july1 #ahhj4 ,,does ,,vivisection ,,pay8 ,the question of vivisection is again pushing itself to the front4 ,a distinguished ,american physiologist has lately come forward in defense of the ,french experimenter1 ,magendie1 and1 parenthetically1 of his methods of investigation in the study of vital phenomena4 ,on the other hand1 the ,society for the ,prevention of ,cruelty to ,animals made an unsuccessful attempt1 in the ,new ,york ,legislature last winter1 to secure the passage of a law which would entirely abolish the practice as now in vogue in our medical schools1 or cause it to be secretly carried on1 in defiance of legal enactments4 ,in support of this bill it was claimed that physiologists1 for the sake of demonstrating to medical students certain physiological phenomena connected with the functions of life1 are constantly and habitually in the practice of cutting up alive1 torturing and tormenting divers of the unoffending brute creation to illustrate their theories and lectures1 but without any practical or beneficial result either to themselves or to the students1 which practice is demoralizing to both and engenders in the future medical practitioners a want of humanity and sympathy for physical pain and suffering4 ,how far these statements are true will be hereafter discussed2 but one assertion is so evidently erroneous that it may be at once indicated4 ,no experiment1 however atrocious1 cruel and1 therefore1 on the whole1 unjustifiable1 if performed to illustrate some scientific point1 was ever without any beneficial result4 ,the benefit may have been infinitesimal1 but every scientific fact is of some value4 ,to assert the contrary is to weaken one's case by overstatement4 ,leaving out the brute creation1 there are three parties interested in this discussion4 ,in the first place1 there are the professors and teachers of physiology in the medical colleges4 ,naturally1 these desire no interference with either their work or their methods4 ,they claim that were the knowledge acquired by experiments upon living organisms swept out of existence1 in many respects the science of physiology would be little more than guesswork to-day4 ,the subject of vivisection1 they declare1 is one which does not concern the general public1 but belongs exclusively to scientists and especially to physiologists4 ,that the present century should permit sentimentalists to interfere with scientific investigations is preposterous4 ,behind these stand the majority of men belonging to the medical profession4 ,holding1 as they do1 the most important and intimate relations to society1 it is manifestly desirable that they should enjoy the best facilities for the acquirement of knowledge necessary to their art4 ,to most1 the question is merely one of professional privilege against sentiment1 and they cannot hesitate which side to prefer4 ,in this1 as in other professions or trades1 the feeling of esprit de corps is exceedingly strong2 and no class of men likes interference on the part of outsiders4 ,to most physicians it is wholly a scientific question4 ,it is a matter1 they think1 with which the public has no concern2 if society can trust to the profession its sick and dying1 they surely can leave to its feeling of humanity a few worthless brutes4 ,the opinion of the general public is therefore1 divided and confused4 ,on the one hand1 it is profoundly desirous to make systematic and needless cruelty impossible2 yet1 on the other1 it cannot but hesitate to take any step which shall hinder medical education1 impede scientific discovery1 or restrict search for new methods of treating disease4 ,what are the sufferings of an animal1 however acute or prolonged1 compared with the gain to humanity which would result from the knowledge thereby acquired of a single curative agent8 ,public opinion hesitates4 ,a leading newspaper1 commenting on the introduction of the ,bergh bill1 doubtless expressed the sentiment of most people when it deprecated prevention of experiments by which original investigators seek to establish or verify conclusions which may be of priceless value to the preservation of life and health among human beings4 ,the question nevertheless confronts society1--and in such shape1 too1 that society cannot escape1 even if it would1 the responsibility of a decision4 ,either by action or inaction the ,state must decide whether the practice of vivisection shall be wholly abolished1 as desired by some2 whether it shall be restricted by law within certain limits and for certain definite objects1 as in ,great ,britain2 or whether we are to continue in this country to follow the example of ,france and ,germany1 in permitting the practice of physiological experimentation to any extent devised or desired by the experimentalist himself4 ,any information tending to indicate which of these courses is best cannot be inopportune4 ,having witnessed experiments by some of the most distinguished ,european physiologists1 such as ,claude ,bernard 7the successor of ,magendie71 ,milne-,edwards and ,brown-,sequard2 and1 still better 7or worse1 as the reader may think71 having performed some experiments in this direction for purposes of investigation and for the instruction of others1 the present writer believes himself justified in holding and stating a pronounced opinion on this subject1 even if it be to some extent1 opposed to the one prevailing in the profession4 ,suppose1 therefore1 we review briefly the arguments to be adduced both in favor of the practice and against it4 ,two principal arguments may be advanced in its favor4 ,i4 ,it is undeniable that to the practice of vivisection we are indebted for very much of our present knowledge of physiology4 ,this is the fortress of the advocates of vivisection1 and a certain refuge when other arguments are of no avail4 ,,ii4 ,as a means of teaching physiological facts1 vivisection is unsurpassed4 ,no teacher of science needs to be told the vast superiority of demonstration over affirmation4 ,take for instance1 the circulation of the blood4 ,the student who displays but a languid interest in statements of fact1 or even in the best delineations and charts obtainable1 will be thoroughly aroused by seeing the process actually before his eyes4 ,a week's study upon the book will less certainly be retained in his memory than a single view of the opened thorax of a frog or dog4 ,there before him is the throbbing heart2 he sees its relations to adjoining structures1 and marks1 with a wonder he never before knew1 that mystery of life by which the heart1 even though excised from the body1 does not cease for a time its rhythmic beat4 ,to imagine1 then1 that teachers of physiology find mere amusement in these operations is the greatest of ignorant mistakes4 ,they deem it desirable that certain facts be accurately fixed in memory1 and they know that no system of mnemonics equals for such purpose the demonstration of the function itself4 ,just here1 however1 arises a very important question4 ,admitting the benefit of the demonstration of scientific facts1 how far may one justifiably subject an animal to pain for the purpose of illustrating a point already known8 ,it is merely a question of cost4 ,for instance1 it is an undisputed statement in physical science that the diamond is nothing more than a form of crystallized carbon1 and1 like other forms of carbon1 under certain conditions1 may be made to burn4 ,now most of us are entirely willing to accept this1 as we do the majority of truths1 upon the testimony of scientific men1 without making demonstration a requisite of assent4 ,in a certain private school1 however1 it has long been the custom once a year1 to burn in oxygen a small diamond1 worth perhaps #cj1 so as actually to prove to the pupils the assertion of their text-books4 ,the experiment is a brilliant one2 no one can doubt its entire success4 ,nevertheless1 we do not furnish diamonds to our public schools for this purpose4 ,exactly similar to this is one aspect of vivisection--it is a question of cost4 ,granting all the advantages which follow demonstration of certain physiological facts1 the cost is pain--pain sometimes amounting to prolonged and excruciating torture4 ,is the gain worth this8 ,let me mention an instance4 ,not long ago1 in a certain medical college in the ,state of ,new ,york1 ,i saw what ,doctor ,sharpey1 for thirty years the professor of physiology in the ,university ,medical ,college1 ,london1 once characterized by antithesis as ,magendie's infamous experiment1 it having been first performed by that eminent physiologist4 ,it was designed to prove that the stomach1 although supplied with muscular coats1 is during the act of vomiting for the most part passive2 and that expulsion of its contents is due to the action of the diaphragm and the larger abdominal muscles4 ,the professor to whom ,i refer did not propose to have even ,magendie's word accepted as an authority on the subject3 the fact should be demonstrated again4 ,so an incision in the abdomen of a dog was made2 its stomach was cut out2 a pig's bladder containing colored water was inserted in its place1 an emetic was injected into the veins1--and vomiting ensued4 ,long before the conclusion of the experiment the animal became conscious1 and its cries of suffering were exceedingly painful to hear4 ,now1 granting that this experiment impressed an abstract scientific fact upon the memories of all who saw it1 nevertheless it remains significantly true that the fact thus demonstrated had no conceivable relation to the treatment of disease4 ,it is not to-day regarded as conclusive of the theory which1 after nearly two hundred repetitions of his experiment1 was doubtless considered by ,magendie as established beyond question4 ,doctor ,sharpey1 a strong advocate of vivisection1 by the way1 condemned it as a perfectly unjustifiable experiment1 since besides its atrocity1 it was really purposeless4 ,was this repetition of the experiment which ,i have described worth its cost8 ,was the gain worth the pain8 ,let me instance another and more recent case4 ,being in ,paris a year ago1 ,i went one morning to the ,college de ,france1 to hear ,brown-,sequard1 the most eminent experimenter in vivisection now living--one who1 ,doctor ,carpenter tells us1 has probably inflicted more animal suffering than any other man in his time4 ,the lecturer stated that injury to certain nervous centers near the base of the brain would produce peculiar and curious phenomena in the animal operated upon1 causing it1 for example1 to keep turning to one side in a circular manner1 instead of walking in a straightforward direction4 ,a ,guinea-pig was produced--a little creature1 about the size of a half-grown kitten--and the operation was effected1 accompanied by a series of piercing little squeaks4 ,as foretold1 the creature thus injured did immediately perform a circular movement4 ,a rabbit was then operated upon with similar results4 ,lastly1 an unfortunate poodle was introduced1 its muzzle tied with stout whip-cord1 wound round and round so tightly that it must necessarily have caused severe pain4 ,it was forced to walk back and forth on the long table1 during which it cast looks on every side1 as though seeking a possible avenue of escape4 ,being fastened in the operating trough1 an incision was made to the bone1 flaps turned back1 an opening made in the skull1 and enlarged by breaking away some portions with forceps4 ,during these various processes no attempt whatever was made to cause unconsciousness by means of ansthetics1 and the half-articulate1 half-smothered cries of the creature in its agony were terrible to hear1 even to one not unaccustomed to vivisections4 ,the experiment was a success2 the animal after its mutilation did describe certain circular movements4 ,but ,i cannot help questioning in regard to these demonstrations1 did they pay8 ,this experiment had not the slightest relation whatever to the cure of disease4 ,more than this3 it teaches us little or nothing in physiology4 ,the most eminent physiologist in this country1 ,doctor ,austin ,flint1 ,jr41 admits that experiments of this kind do not seem to have advanced our positive knowledge of the functions of the nerve centers1 and that similar experiments have been very indefinite in their results4 ,on this occasion1 therefore1 three animals were subjected to torture to demonstrate an abstract fact1 which probably not a single one of the two dozen spectators would have hesitated to take for granted on the word of so great a pathologist as ,doctor ,brown-,sequard4 ,was the gain worth the cost8 ,this1 then1 is the great question that must eventually be decided by the public4 ,do humanity and science here indicate diverging roads8 ,on the contrary1 ,i believe it to be an undeniable fact that the highest scientific and medical opinion is against the repetition of painful experiments for class teaching4 ,in #ahge1 a ,royal ,commission was appointed in ,great ,britain to investigate the subject of vivisection1 with a view to subsequent legislation4 ,the interests of science were represented by the appointment of ,professor ,huxley as a member of this commission4 ,its meetings continued over several months1 and the report constitutes a large volume of valuable testimony4 ,the opinions of many of these witnesses are worthy of special attention1 from the eminent position to the men who hold them4 ,the physician to the ,queen1 ,sir ,thomas ,watson1 with whose ,lectures on ,physic every medical practitioner in this country is familiar1 says3 ,i hold that no teacher or man of science who by his own previous experiments1 99 99 99 has thoroughly satisfied himself of the solution of any physiological problem1 is justified in repeating the experiments1 however mercifully1 to appease the natural curiosity of a class of students or of scientific friends4 ,sir ,george ,burroughs1 ,president of the ,royal ,college of ,physicians1 says3 ,i do not think that an experiment should be repeated over and over again in our medical schools to illustrate what is already established4,a ,sir ,james ,paget1 ,surgeon ,extraordinary to the ,queen1 said before the commission that experiments for the purpose of repeating anything already ascertained ought never to be shown to classes4 #cfc4 ,sir ,william ,fergusson1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 also ,surgeon to her ,majesty1 asserted that sufferings incidental to such operations are protracted in a very shocking manner2 that of such experiments there is useless repetition1 and that when once a fact which involves cruelty to animals has been fairly recognized and accepted1 there is no necessity for a continued repetition4 #ajai4 ,even physiologists--some of them practical experimenters in vivisection--join in condemning these class demonstrations4 ,dr4 ,william ,sharpey1 before referred to as a teacher of physiology for over thirty years in ,university ,college1 says3 ,once such facts fully established1 ,i do not think it justifiable to repeat experiments causing pain to animals4 #dje4 ,dr4 ,rolleston1 ,professor of ,physiology at ,oxford1 said that for class demonstrations limitations should undoubtedly be imposed1 and those limitations should render illegal painful experiments before classes4 #abia4 ,charles ,darwin1 the greatest of living naturalists1 stated that he had never either directly or indirectly experimented on animals1 and that he regarded a painful experiment without ansthetics which might be made with ansthetics as deserving detestation and abhorrence4 #dfgb4 ,and finally the report of this commission1 to which is attached the name of ,professor ,huxley1 says3 ,with respect to medical schools1 we accept the resolution of the ,british ,association in #ahga1 that experimentation without the use of ansthetics is not a fitting exhibition for teaching purposes4 ,a ,report of the ,royal ,commission on the ,practice of ,subjecting ,live ,animals to ,experiments for ,scientific ,purposes4 ,question ,no1 #age4 ,reference to this volume will hereafter be made in this article by inserting in brackets1 immediately after the authority quoted1 the number of the question in this report from which the extract is made4 ,it must be noted that hardly any of these opinions touch the question of vivisection so far as it is done without the infliction of pain1 nor object to it as a method of original research2 they relate simply to the practice of repeating painful experiments for purposes of physiological teaching4 ,we cannot dismiss them as sentimental or unimportant4 ,if painful experiments are necessary for the education of the young physician1 how happens it that ,watson and ,burroughs are ignorant of the fact8 ,if indispensable to the proper training of the surgeon1 why are they condemned by ,fergusson and ,paget8 ,if requisite even to physiology1 why denounced by the physiologists of ,oxford and ,london8 ,if necessary to science1 why viewed with abhorrence by the greatest of modern scientists8 ,another objection to vivisection1 when practiced as at present without supervision or control1 is the undeniable fact that habitual familiarity with the infliction of pain upon animals has a decided tendency to engender a sort of careless indifference regarding suffering4 ,vivisection1 says ,professor ,rolleston of ,oxford1 is very liable to abuse4 99 99 99 ,it is specially liable to tempt a man into certain carelessness2 the passive impressions produced by the sight of suffering growing weaker1 while the habit and pleasure of experimenting grows stronger by repetition4 #abhg4 ,says ,doctor ,elliotson3 ,i cannot refrain from expressing my horror at the amount of torture which ,doctor ,brachet inflicted4 ,i hardly think knowledge is worth having at such a purchase4,a ,a very striking example of this tendency was brought out in the testimony of a witness before the ,royal ,commission1--,doctor ,klein1 a practical physiologist4 ,he admitted frankly that as an investigator he held as entirely indifferent the sufferings of animals subjected to his experiments1 that1 except for teaching purposes1 he never used ansthetics unless necessary for his own convenience4 ,some members of the ,commission could hardly realize the possibility of such a confession4 ,a ,human ,physiology1 by ,john ,elliotson1 ,m4 ,d41 ,f4 ,r4 ,s4 7page #ddh74 ,do you mean you have no regard at all to the sufferings of the lower animals8 ,no regard at all1 was the strange reply2 and1 after a little further questioning1 the witness explained3 ,i think that1 with regard to an experimenter--a man who conducts special research and performs an experiment--he has no time1 so to speak1 for thinking what the animal will feel or suffer6 ,of ,magendie's cruel disposition there seems only too abundant evidence4 ,says ,doctor ,elliotson3 ,dr4 ,magendie1 in one of his barbarous experiments1 which ,i am ashamed to say ,i witnessed1 began by coolly cutting out a large round piece from the back of a beautiful little puppy1 as he would from an apple dumpling6 ,it is not to be doubted that inhumanity may be found in persons of very high position as physiologists4 ,we have seen that it was so in ,magendie4 ,this is the language of the report on vivisection1 to which is attached the name of ,professor ,huxley4 ,but the fact which1 in my own mind1 constitutes by far the strongest objection to unrestrained experiments in pain1 is their questionable utility as regards therapeutics4 ,probably most readers are aware that physiology is that science which treats of the various functions of life1 such as digestion1 respiration and the circulation of the blood1 while therapeutics is that department of medicine which relates to the discovery and application of remedies for disease4 ,now ,i venture to assert that1 during the last quarter of a century1 infliction of intense torture upon unknown myriads of sentient1 living creatures1 has not resulted in the discovery of a single remedy of acknowledged and generally accepted value in the cure of disease4 ,this is not known to the general public1 but it is a fact essential to any just decision regarding the expediency of unrestrained liberty of vivisection4 ,it is by no means intended to deny the value to therapeutics of well-known physiological facts acquired thus in the past--such1 for instance1 as the more complete knowledge we possess regarding the circulation of the blood1 or the distinction between motor and sensory nerves1 nor can original investigation be pronounced absolutely valueless as respects remote possibility of future gain4 ,what the public has a right to ask of those who would indefinitely prolong these experiments without ,state supervision or control is1 ,what good have your painful experiments accomplished during the past thirty years--not in ascertaining facts in physiology or causes of rare or incurable complaints1 but in the discovery of improved methods for ameliorating human suffering1 and for the cure of disease8 ,if pain could be estimated in money1 no corporation ever existed which would be satisfied with such waste of capital in experiments so futile2 no mining company would permit a quarter-century of prospecting in such barren regions4 ,the usual answer to this inquiry is to bring forward facts in physiology thus acquired in the past1 in place of facts in therapeutics4 ,thus1 in a recent article on ,magendie to which reference has been made1 we are furnished with a long list of such additions to our knowledge4 ,it may be questioned1 however1 whether the writer is quite scientifically accurate in asserting that1 were our past experience in vivisection abolished1 it would blot out all that we know to-day in regard to the circulation of the blood1 99 99 the growth and regeneration of bone1 99 99 99 the origin of many parasitic diseases1 99 99 99 the communicability of certain contagious and infectious diseases1 and1 to make the list complete1 it would be requisite 99 99 to take a wide range in addition through the domains of pathology and therapeutics4 ,surely somewhat about these subjects has been acquired otherwise than by experiments upon animals8 ,for example1 an inquiring critic might wish to know a few of the many parasitic diseases thus discovered2 or what contagious and infectious diseases1 whose communicability was previously unknown1 have had this quality demonstrated solely by experiments on animals8 ,and what1 too1 prevented that wide range into therapeutics necessary to make complete the list of benefits due to vivisection8 ,in urging the utility of a practice so fraught with danger1 the utmost precaution against the slightest error of overstatement becomes an imperative duty4 ,even so distinguished a scientist as ,sir ,john ,lubbock once rashly asserted in ,parliament that1 without experiments on living animals1 we should never have had the use of ether6 ,nearly every ,american school-boy knows that the contrary is true--that the use of ether as an ansthetic--the grandest discovery of modern times--had no origin in the torture of animals4 ,i confess that1 until very recently1 ,i shared the common impression regarding the utility of vivisection in therapeutics4 ,it is a belief still widely prevalent in the medical profession4 ,nevertheless1 is it not a mistake8 ,the therapeutical results of nearly half a century of painful experiments--we seek them in vain4 ,do we ask surgery8 ,sir ,william ,ferguson1 surgeon to the ,queen1 tells us3 ,in surgery ,i am not aware of any of these experiments on the lower animals having led to the mitigation of pain or to improvement as regards surgical details4 #ajdi4 ,have antidotes to poisons been discovered thereby8 ,says ,doctor ,taylor1 lecturer on ,toxicology for nearly half a century in the chief ,london ,medical ,school 7a writer whose work on ,poisons is a recognized authority73 ,i do not know that we have as yet learned anything1 so far as treatment is concerned1 from our experiments with them 7i4e4 poisons7 on animals4 #abjd4 ,doctor ,anthony1 speaking of ,magendie's experiments1 says3 ,i never gained one single fact by seeing these cruel experiments in ,paris4 ,i know nothing more from them than ,i could have read4 #bdej4 ,even physiologists admit the paucity of therapeutic results4 ,doctor ,sharpey says3 ,i should lay less stress on the direct application of the results of vivisection to improvement in the art of healing1 than upon the value of these experiments in the promotion of physiology4 #cid4 ,the ,oxford professor of ,physiology admitted that ,etiology1 the science which treats of the causes of disease1 had1 by these experiments1 been the gainer1 rather than therapeutics4 #acjb4 ,experiments on animals1 says ,doctor ,thorowgood1 already extensive and numerous1 cannot be said to have advanced therapeutics much4,a ,sir ,william ,gull1 ,m4 ,d41 was questioned before the commission whether he could enumerate any therapeutic remedies which have been discovered by vivisection1 and he replied with fervor3 ,the cases bristle around us everywhere6 ,yet1 excepting ,hall's experiments on the nervous system1 he could enumerate only various forms of disease1 our knowledge of which is due to ,harvey's discovery1 two hundred and fifty years ago6 ,the question was pushed closer1 and so brought to the necessity of a definite reply1 he answered3 ,i do not say at present our therapeutics are much1 but there are lines of experiment which seem to promise great help in therapeutics4 #eebi4 ,the results of two centuries of experiments1 so far as therapeutics are concerned1 reduced to a seeming promise6 ,a ,medical ,times and ,gazette1 ,october #e1 #ahgb4 ,on two points1 then1 the evidence of the highest scientific authorities in ,great ,britain seems conclusive--first1 that experiments upon living animals conduce chiefly to the benefit of the science of physiology1 and little1 if at all1 at the present day1 to the treatment of disease or the amelioration of human suffering2 and1 secondly1 that repetition of painful experiments for class-teaching in medical schools is both unnecessary and unjustifiable4 ,do these conclusions affect the practice of vivisection in this country8 ,is it true that experiments are habitually performed in some of our medical schools1 often causing extreme pain1 to illustrate well-known and accepted facts--experiments which ,english physiologists pronounce infamous and atrocious1 which ,english physicians and surgeons stigmatize as purposeless cruelty and unjustifiable--which even ,huxley regards as unfitting for teaching purposes1 and ,darwin denounces as worthy of detestation and abhorrence8 ,i confess ,i see no occasion for any over-delicate reticence in this matter4 ,science needs no secrecy either for her methods or results2 her function is to reveal1 not to hide1 facts4 ,the reply to these questions must be in the affirmative4 ,in this country our physiologists are rather followers of ,magendie and ,bernard1 after the methods in vogue at ,paris and ,leipsic1 than governed by the cautious and sensitive conservatism in this respect which generally characterizes the physiological teaching of ,london and ,oxford4 ,in making this statement1 no criticism is intended on the motives of those responsible for ingrafting continental methods upon our medical schools4 ,if any opprobrium shall be inferred for the past performance of experiments herein condemned1 the present writer asks a share in it4 ,it is the future that we hope to change4 ,now1 what are the facts8 ,a recent contributor to the ,international ,review1 referring to ,mr4 ,bergh1 says that he assails physiological experiments with the same blind extravagance of denunciation as if they were still performed without ansthetics1 as in the time of ,magendie4 ,in the interests of scientific accuracy one would wish more care had been given to the construction of this sentence1 for it implies that experiments are not now performed except with ansthetics--a meaning its author never could have intended to convey4 ,every medical student in ,new ,york knows that experiments involving pain are repeatedly performed to illustrate teaching4 ,it is no secret2 one need not go beyond the frank admissions of our later text-books on physiology for abundant proof1 not only of this1 but of the extent to which experimentation is now carried in this country4 ,we have long been in the habit1 in class demonstrations1 of removing the optic lobe on one side from a pigeon1 says ,professor ,flint1 of ,bellevue ,hospital ,medical ,college1 in his excellent work on ,physiology4,a ,the experiment of dividing the sympathetic in the neck1 especially in rabbits1 is so easily performed that the phenomena observed by ,bernard and ,brown-,sequard have been repeatedly verified4 ,we have often done this in class demonstrations4,b ,the cerebral lobes were removed from a young pigeon in the usual way1 an operation 99 99 which we practice yearly as a class demonstration4,c ,referring to the removal of the cerebellum1 the same authority states3 ,our own experiments1 which have been very numerous during the last fifteen years1 are simply repetitions of those of ,flourens1 and the results have been the same without exception4,d ,we have frequently removed both kidneys from dogs1 and when the operation is carefully performed the animals live for from three to five days4 99 99 ,death always takes place with symptoms of blood poisoning4,e ,in the same work we are given precise details for making a pancreatic fistula1 after the method of ,claude ,bernard--one we have repeatedly employed with success4 ,in performing the above experiment it is generally better not to employ an ansthetic1,f but ether is sometimes used4 ,in the same work is given a picture of a dog1 muzzled and with a biliary fistula1 as it appeared the fourteenth day after the operation1 which1 with details of the experiment1 is quite suggestive4,g ,bernard was the first to succeed in following the spinal accessory nerve back to the jugular foramen1 seizing it here with a strong pair of forceps and drawing it out by the roots4 ,this experiment is practiced in our own country4 ,we have found this result 7loss of voice7 to follow in the cat after the spinal accessory nerves have been torn out by the roots1 says ,professor ,john ,c4 ,dalton1 in his ,treatise on ,human ,physiology4,h ,this operation is difficult1 writes ,professor ,flint1 but we have several times performed it with entire success2 and his assistant at ,bellevue ,medical ,college has succeeded in extirpating these nerves for class demonstrations4,i ,in withdrawal of blood from the hepatic veins of a dog1 avoiding the administration of an ansthetic is one of the steps recommended4,j ,the curious experiment of ,bernard1 in which artificial diabetes is produced by irritating the floor of the fourth ventricle of the brain1 is carefully described1 and illustrations afforded both of the instrument and the animal undergoing the operation4 ,the inexperienced experimenter is here taught to hold the head of the rabbit firmly in the left hand1 and to bore through its skull by a few lateral movements of the instrument4 ,it is not a difficult operation2 it is one which the author has often repeated4 ,he tell us it is not desirable to administer an ansthetic1 as it would prevent success2 and a little further we are told that we should avoid the administration of ansthetics in all accurate experiments on the glycogenic function4,k ,it is true the pleasing assurance is given that this experiment is almost painless2 but on this point1 could the rabbit speak during the operation1 its opinion might not accord with that of the physiologist4 ,a ,a ,text-book of ,human ,physiology1 designed for the use of ,practitioners and ,students of ,medicine1 by ,austin ,flint1 ,jr41 ,m4 ,d4 ,d4 ,appleton ,co4 ,new ,york3 #ahgf 7page #gbb74 ,b ,page #gch4 ,c ,page #ehe4 ,d ,page #gaj4 ,e ,page #djc4 ,f ,pages #bfi-gj4 ,g ,page #bhb4 ,h ,page #dhi4 ,i ,page #fbi4 ,j ,page #dfc4 ,k ,pages #dgj-ga4 ,there is one experiment in regard to which the severe characterization of ,english scientists is especially applicable1 from the pain necessarily attending it4 ,numerous investigators have long established the fact that the great sensory nerve of the head and face is endowed with an exquisite degree of sensibility4 ,more than half a century ago1 both ,magendie and ,sir ,charles ,bell pointed out that merely exposing and touching this fifth nerve gave signs of most acute pain4 ,all who have divided this root in living animals must have recognized1 not only that it is sensitive1 but that its sensibility is far more acute than that of any other nervous trunk in the body4,a ,the fifth pair1 says ,professor ,john ,c4 ,dalton1 is the most acutely sensitive nerve in the whole body4 ,its irritation by mechanical means always causes intense pain1 and even though the animal be nearly unconscious from the influence of ether1 any severe injury to its large root is almost invariably followed by cries4,b ,testimony on this point is uniform and abundant4 ,if science speaks anywhere with assurance1 it is in regard to the properties of this nerve4 ,yet every year the experiment is repeated before medical classes1 simply to demonstrate accepted facts4 ,this is an operation1 says ,professor ,flint1 referring to the division of this nerve1 that we have frequently performed with success4 ,he adds that it is difficult from the fact that one is working in the dark1 and it requires a certain amount of dexterity1 to be acquired only by practice4 ,minute directions are therefore laid down for the operative procedure1 and illustrations given both of the instrument to be used1 and of the head of a rabbit with the blade of the instrument in its cranial cavity4,c ,holding the head of our rabbit firmly in the left hand1 we are directed to penetrate the cranium in a particular manner4 ,soon the operator feels at a certain depth that the bony resistance ceases2 he is then on the fifth pair1 and the cries of the animal give evidence that the nerve is pressed upon4 ,this is one of ,magendie's celebrated experiments2 perhaps the reader fancies that in its modern repetitions the animal suffers nothing1 being rendered insensible by ansthetics8 ,it is much more satisfactory to divide the nerve without etherizing the animal1 as the evidence of pain is an important guide in this delicate operation4 ,ansthetics1 however1 are sometimes used1 but not so as wholly to overcome the pain4 ,a ,flint3 ,text ,book on ,human ,physiology 7page #fda74 ,b ,dalton's ,human ,physiology 7page #dff74 ,c ,flint 7pages #fci-dj74 ,testimony of individuals1 indicating the extent to which vivisection is at present practiced in this country might be given2 but it seems better to submit proof within the reach of every reader1 and the accuracy of which is beyond cavil4 ,no legal restrictions whatever exist1 preventing the performance of any experiment desired4 ,indeed1 ,i think it may safely be asserted that1 in the city of ,new ,york1 in a single medical school1 more pain is inflicted upon living animals as a means of teaching well-known facts1 than is permitted to be done for the same purpose in all the medical schools of ,great ,britain and ,ireland4 ,and cui bono8 ,i can truly say1 writes a physician who has seen all these experiments1 that not only have ,i never seen any results at all commensurate with the suffering inflicted1 but ,i cannot recall a single experiment which1 in the slightest degree1 has increased my ability to relieve pain1 or in any way fitted me to cope better with disease4 ,in respect to this practice1 therefore1 evidence abounds indicating the necessity for that ,state supervision which obtains in ,great ,britain4 ,we cannot abolish it any more than we can repress dissection2 to attempt it would be equally unwise4 ,within certain limitations1 dictated both by a regard for the interest of science and by that sympathy for everything that lives and suffers which is the highest attribute of humanity1 it seems to me that the practice of vivisection should be allowed4 ,what are these restrictions8 ,the following conclusions are suggested as a basis for future legislation3 ,i4 ,any experiment or operation whatever upon a living animal1 during which by recognized ansthetics it is made completely insensible to pain1 should be permitted4 ,this does not necessarily imply the taking of life4 ,should a surgeon1 for example1 desire to cause a fracture or tie an artery1 and then permit the animal to recover so as to note subsequent effects1 there is no reason why the privilege should be refused4 ,the discomfort following such an operation would be inconsiderable4 ,this permission should not extend to experiments purely physiological and having no definite relation to surgery2 nor to mutilation from which recovery is impossible1 and prolonged pain certain as a sequence4 ,,ii4 ,any experiment performed thus1 under complete ansthesia1 though involving any degree of mutilation1 if concluded by the extinction of life before consciousness is regained should also be permitted4 ,to object to killing animals for scientific purposes while we continue to demand their sacrifice for food1 is to seek for the appetite a privilege we refuse the mind4 ,it is equally absurd to object to vivisection because it dissects1 or cuts up4 ,if no pain be felt1 why is it worse to cut up a dog1 than a sheep or an ox8 ,such experiments as the foregoing might be permitted to any extent desired in our medical schools4 ,far more difficult is the question of painful experimentation4 ,unfortunately1 it so happens that the most attractive original investigations are largely upon the nervous system1 involving the consciousness of pain as a requisite to success4 ,toward this class of experiments the ,state should act with caution and firmness4 ,it seems to me that the following restrictions are only just4 ,,iii4 ,in view of the great cost in suffering1 as compared with the slight profit gained by the student1 the repetition1 for purposes of class instruction of any experiment involving pain to a vertebrate animal should be forbidden by law4 ,,iv4 ,in view of the slight gain to practical medicine resulting from innumerable past experiments of this kind1 a painful experiment upon a living vertebrate animal should be permitted solely for purposes of original investigation1 and then only under the most rigid surveillance1 and preceded by the strictest precautions4 ,for every experiment of this kind the physiologist should be required to obtain special permission from a ,state board1 specifying on application 7#a7 the object of the proposed investigation1 7#b7 the nature and method of the operation1 7#c7 the species of animal to be sacrificed1 and 7#d7 the shortest period during which pain will probably be felt4 ,an officer of the ,state should be given an opportunity to be present2 and a report made1 both of the length of time occupied1 and the knowledge1 if any1 gained thereby4 ,if these restrictions are made obligatory by statute1 and their violation made punishable by a heavy fine1 such experiments will be generally performed only when absolutely necessary for purposes of scientific research4 ,in few matters is there greater necessity for careful discrimination than in everything pertaining to this subject4 ,the attempt has been made in this paper to indicate how far the ,state--leaning to mercy's side--may sanction a practice often so necessary and useful1 always so dangerous in its tendencies4 ,that is a worthy ideal of conduct which seeks ,never to blend our pleasure or our pride ,with sorrow of the meanest thing that feels4 ,is not this a sentiment in which even science may fitly share8 ,are we justified in neglecting the evidence she offers1 purchased in the past at such immeasurable agonies1 and in demanding that year after year new victims shall be subjected to torture1 only to demonstrate what none of us doubt8 ,that is the chief question4 ,for1 if all compromise be persistently rejected by physiologists1 there is danger that some day1 impelled by the advancing growth of humane sentiment1 society may confound in one common condemnation all experiments of this nature1 and make the whole practice impossible1 except in secret and as a crime4 ,from ,,lippincott',s ,,magazine1 ,august1 #ahhd4 ,,vivisection4 ,omitting entirely any consideration of the ethics of vivisection1 the only points to which in the present article the attention of the reader is invited are those in which scientific inquirers may be supposed to have a common interest4 ,i4 ,one danger to which scientific truth seems to be exposed is a peculiar tendency to underestimate the numberless uncertainties and contradictions created by experimentation upon living beings4 ,judging from the enthusiasm of its advocates1 one would think that by this method of interrogating nature all fallacies can be detected1 all doubts determined4 ,but1 on the contrary1 the result of experimentation1 in many directions1 is to plunge the observer into the abyss of uncertainty4 ,take1 for example1 one of the simplest and yet most important questions possible1--the degree of sensibility in the lower animals4 ,has an infinite number of experiments enabled physiologists to determine for us the mere question of pain8 ,suppose an amateur experimenter in ,london1 desirous of performing some severe operations upon frogs1 to hesitate because of the extreme painfulness of his methods1 what replies would he be likely to obtain from the highest scientific authorities of ,england as to the sensibility of these creatures8 ,we may fairly judge their probable answers to such inquiries from their evidence already given before a royal commission4,a ,a ,the contradictory opinions ascribed to most of the authorities quoted in this article are taken directly from the ,report of the ,royal ,commission on the ,practice of ,subjecting ,live ,animals to ,experiments for ,scientific ,purposes1--a ,blue-,book ,parliamentary ,report4 ,dr4 ,carpenter would doubtless repeat his opinion that frogs have extremely little perception of pain2 and in the evidence of that experienced physiologist ,george ,henry ,lewes1 he would find the cheerful assurance1 ,i do not believe that frogs suffer pain at all4 ,our friend applies1 let us suppose1 to ,dr4 ,klein1 of ,st4 ,bartholomew's ,hospital1 who despises the sentimentality which regards animal suffering as of the least consequence2 and this enthusiastic vivisector informs him that1 in his ,english experience1 the experiment which caused the greatest pain without ansthetics was the cauterization of the cornea of a frog4 ,somewhat confused at finding that a most painful experiment can be performed upon an animal that does not suffer he relates this to ,dr4 ,swaine ,taylor1 of ,guy's ,hospital1 who does not think that ,klein's experiment would cause severe suffering2 but of another--placing a frog in cold water and raising the temperature to about #ajj--that1 says ,doctor ,taylor1 would be a cruel experiment3 ,i cannot see what purpose it can answer4 ,before leaving ,guy's ,hospital1 our inquiring friend meets ,dr4 ,pavy1 one of the most celebrated physiologists in ,england1 who tells him that in this experiment1 stigmatized by his colleague as cruel1 the frog would in reality suffer very little2 that if we ourselves were treated to a bath gradually raised from a medium temperature to the boiling point1 ,i think we should not feel any pain2 that were we plunged at once into boiling water1 even then1 says the enthusiastic and scientific ,dr4 ,pavy1 ,i do not think pain would be experienced6 ,our friend goes then to ,dr4 ,sibson1 of ,st4 ,mary's ,hospital1 who as a physiologist of many years' standing1 sees no objection to freezing1 starving1 or baking animals alive2 but he declares of boiling a frog1 ,that is a horrible idea1 and ,i certainly am not going to defend it4 ,perplexed more than ever1 he goes to ,dr4 ,lister1 of ,king's ,college1 and is astonished upon being told that the mere holding of a frog in your warm hand is about as painful as any experiment probably that you would perform4 ,finally1 one of the strongest advocates of vivisections1 ,dr4 ,anthony1 pupil of ,sir ,charles ,bell1 would exclaim1 if a mere exposition of the lungs of the frog were referred to1 ,fond as ,i am of physiology1 ,i would not do that for the world6 ,now1 what has our inquirer learned by his appeal to science8 ,has he gained any clear and absolute knowledge8 ,hardly two of the experimenters named agree upon one simple yet most important preliminary of research--the sensibility to pain of a single species of animals4 ,let us interrogate scientific opinion a little further on this question of sensibility4 ,is there any difference in animals as regards susceptibility to pain8 ,dr4 ,anthony says that we may take the amount of intelligence in animals as a fair measure of their sensibility--that the pain one would suffer would be in proportion to its intelligence4 ,dr4 ,rutherford1 ,edinburgh1 never performs an experiment upon a cat or a spaniel if he can help it1 because they are so exceedingly sensitive2 and ,dr4 ,horatio ,wood1 of ,philadelphia1 tells us that the nervous system of a cat is far more sensitive than that of the rabbit4 ,on the other hand1 ,dr4 ,lister1 of ,king's ,college1 is not aware of any such difference in sensibility in animals1 and ,dr4 ,brunton1 of ,st4 ,bartholomew's1 finds cats such very good animals to operate with that he on one occasion used ninety in making a single experiment4 ,sir ,william ,gull thinks there are but few experiments performed on living creatures where sensation is not removed1 yet ,dr4 ,rutherford admits about half his experiments to have been made upon animals sensitive to pain4 ,professor ,rolleston1 of ,oxford ,university1 tells us the whole question of ansthetizing animals has an element of uncertainty2 and ,professor ,rutherford declares it impossible to say whether even artificial respiration is painful or not1 unless the animal can speak4 ,dr4 ,brunton1 of ,st4 ,bartholomew's1 says of that most painful experiment1 poisoning by strychnine1 that it cannot be efficiently shown if the animal be under chloroform4 ,dr4 ,davy1 of ,guy's1 on the contrary1 always gives chloroform1 and finds it no impediment to successful demonstration1 ,is opium an ansthetic8 ,claude ,bernard declares that sensibility exists even though the animal be motionless3 ,il sent la douleur1 mais il a1 pour ainsi dire1 perdu l'idee de la defense4,a ,but ,dr4 ,brunton1 of ,st4 ,bartholomew's hospital1 ,london1 has no hesitation whatever in contradicting this statement emphatically1 however high an authority it may be4 ,curare1 a poison invented by ,south ,american ,indians for their arrows1 is much used in physiological laboratories to paralyze the motor nerves1 rendering an animal absolutely incapable of the slightest disturbing movement4 ,does it at the same time destroy sensation1 or is the creature conscious of every pang8 ,claude ,bernard1 of ,paris1 ,sharpey1 of ,london1 and ,flint1 of ,new ,york,b all agree that sensation is not abolished2 on the other hand1 ,rutherford regards curare as a partial ansthetic1 and ,huxley strongly intimates that ,bernard in thus deciding from experiments that it does not affect the cerebral hemispheres or consciousness1 jumped at a conclusion for which neither he nor anybody else had any scientific justification4 ,this is extraordinary language for one experimentalist to use regarding others6 ,if it is possible that such men as ,claude ,bernard and ,professor ,flint have jumped at one utterly unscientific conclusion1 notwithstanding the most painstaking of vivisections1 what security have we that other of our theories in physiology now regarded as absolutely established may not be one day as severely ridiculed by succeeding investigators8 ,is it1 after all1 true1 that the absolute certainty of our most important deductions must remain forever hidden unless the animal can speak8 ,a ,he feels the pain1 but has lost1 so to speak1 the idea of self defense4 ,leons de ,physiologie opratoire1 #ahgi1 p4 #aae4 ,b ,text-,book of ,human ,physiology1 p4 #eie4 ,,ii4 ,between advocating ,state supervision of painful vivisection1 and proposing with ,mr4 ,bergh the total suppression of all experiments1 painful or otherwise1 there is manifestly a very wide distinction4 ,unfortunately1 the suggestion of any interference whatever invariably rouses the anger of those most interested--an indignation as unreasonable1 to say the least1 as that of the merchant who refuses a receipt for money just paid to him1 on the ground that a request for a written acknowledgement is a reflection upon his honesty4 ,i cannot see how otherwise than by ,state supervision we are to reach abuses which confessedly exist4 ,can we trust the sensitiveness and conscience of every experimenter8 ,nobody claims this4 ,one of the leading physiologists in this country1 ,dr4 ,john ,c4 ,dalton1 admits that vivisection may be1 and has been1 abused by reckless1 unfeeling1 or unskillful persons2 that he himself has witnessed abroad1 in a veterinary institution1 operations than which nothing could be more shocking4 ,and yet the unspeakable atrocities at ,alfort1 to which1 apparently1 ,dr4 ,dalton alludes1 were defended upon the very ground he occupies to-day in advocating experiments of the modern laboratory and classroom2 for the ,academie des ,sciences decided that there was no occasion to take any notice of complaints2 that in the future1 as in the past1 vivisectional experiments must be left entirely to the judgment of scientific men4 ,what seemed atrocious to the more tender-hearted ,anglo-,saxon was pronounced entirely justifiable by the ,french ,academy of ,science4 ,a curious question suggests itself in connection with this point4 ,there can be little doubt1 ,i think1 that the sentiment of compassion and of sympathy with suffering is more generally diffused among all classes of ,great ,britain than elsewhere in ,europe2 and one cannot help wondering what our place might be1 were it possible to institute any reliable comparison of national humanity4 ,should we be found in all respects as sensitive as the ,english people8 ,would indignation and protest be as quickly and spontaneously evoked among us by a cruel act8 ,the question may appear an ungracious one1 yet it seems to me there exists some reason why it should be plainly asked4 ,there is a certain experiment--one of the most excruciating that can be performed--which consists in exposing the spinal cord of the dog for the purpose of demonstrating the functions of the spinal nerves4 ,it is one1 by the way1 which ,dr4 ,wilder forgot to enumerate in his summary of the four kinds of experiments1 since it is not the cutting operation which forms its chief peculiarity or to which special objection would be made4 ,at present all this preliminary process is generally performed under ansthetics3 it is an hour or two later1 when the animal has partly recovered from the severe shock of the operation1 that the wound is reopened and the experiment begins4 ,it was during a class demonstration of this kind by ,magendie1 before the introduction of ether1 that the circumstance occurred which one hesitates to think possible in a person retaining a single spark of humanity or pity4 ,i recall to mind1 says ,dr4 ,latour1 who was present at the time1 a poor dog1 the roots of whose vertebral nerves ,magendie desired to lay bare to demonstrate ,bell's theory1 which he claimed as his own4 ,the dog1 mutilated and bleeding twice escaped from under the implacable knife1 and threw its front paws around ,magendie's neck1 licking1 as if to soften his murderer and ask for mercy6 ,i confess ,i was unable to endure that heartrending spectacle4 ,it was probably in reference to this experiment that ,sir ,charles ,bell1 the greatest ,english physiologist of our century1 writing to his brother in #ahbb1 informs him that he hesitates to go on with his investigations4 ,you may think me silly1 he adds1 but ,i cannot perfectly convince myself that ,i am authorized in nature or religion to do these cruelties4 ,now1 what do ,english physiologists and vivisectors of the present day think of the repetition of this experiment solely as a class demonstration8 ,they have candidly expressed their opinions before a royal commission4 ,dr4 ,david ,ferrier1 of ,king's college1 noted for his experiments upon the brain of monkeys1 affirms his belief that students would rebel at the sight of a painful experiment4 ,dr4 ,rutherford1 who certainly dared do all that may become a physiologist1 confesses mournfully1 ,i dare not show an experiment upon a dog or rabbit before students1 when the animal is not ansthetized4 ,dr4 ,pavy1 of ,guy's ,hospital1 asserts that a painful experiment introduced before a class would not be tolerated for a moment4 ,sir ,william ,gull1 ,m4 ,d41 believes that the repetition of an operation like this upon the spinal nerves would excite the reprobation alike of teacher1 pupils1 and the public at large4 ,michael ,foster1 of ,cambridge ,university1 who minutely describes all the details of the experiment on recurrent sensibility in the ,handbook for the ,physiological ,laboratory1 nevertheless tells us1 ,i have not performed it1 and have never seen it done1 partly1 as he confesses1 from horror at the pain4 ,and finally ,dr4 ,burdon-,sanderson1 physiologist at ,university ,college1 ,london1 states with the utmost emphasis1 in regard to the performance of this demonstration on the spinal cord1 ,i am perfectly certain that no physiologist--none of the leading men in ,germany1 for example--would exhibit an experiment of that kind4 ,now mark the contrast4 ,this experiment--which we are told passes even the callousness of ,germany to repeat2 which every leading champion of vivisection in ,great ,britain reprobates for medical teaching2 which some of them shrink even from seeing1 themselves1 from horror at the tortures necessarily inflicted2 which the most ruthless among them dare not exhibit to the young men of ,england1--this experiment has been performed publicly again and again in ,american medical colleges1 without exciting1 so far as we know1 even a whisper of protest or the faintest murmur of remonstrance6 ,the proof is to be found in the published statements of the experimenter himself4 ,in his ,text-,book of ,physiology1 ,professor ,flint says1 ,magendie showed very satisfactorily that the posterior roots 7of the spinal cord7 were exclusively sensory1 and this fact has been confirmed by more recent observations upon the higher classes of animals4 ,we have ourselves frequently exposed and irritated the roots of the nerves in dogs1 in public demonstrations in experiments on the recurrent sensibility1 444 and in another series of observations4,a ,a ,a ,text-,book of ,human ,physiology4 ,by ,austin ,flint1 ,jr4 ,m4 ,d4 ,new ,york1 #ahgf4 ,page #ehi2 see also page #fgd4 ,this is the experience of a single professional teacher2 but it is improbable that this experiment has been shown only to the students of a single medical college in the ,united ,states2 it has doubtless been repeated again and again in different colleges throughout the country4 ,if ,englishmen are1 then1 so extremely sensitive as ,ferrier1 ,gull1 and ,burdon-,sanderson would have us believe1 we must necessarily conclude that the sentiment of compassion is far greater in ,britain than in ,america4 ,have we drifted backward in humanity8 ,have ,american students learned to witness1 without protest1 tortures at the sight of which ,english students would rebel8 ,we are told that there is no need of any public sensitiveness on this subject4 ,we should trust entirely1 as they do in ,france1--at ,alfort1 for example1--to the judgment of the investigator4 ,there must be no lifting of the veil to the outside multitude2 for the priests of this unpitying science there must be as absolute immunity from criticism or inquiry as was ever demanded before the shrine of ,delphi or the altars of ,baal4 ,let them exercise their solemn office1 demands ,dr4 ,wilder1 not only unrestrained by law1 but upheld by public sentiment4 ,for myself1 ,i cannot believe this position is tenable4 ,nothing seems to me more certain than the results that must follow if popular sentiment in this country shall knowingly sustain the public demonstration of an experiments in pain1 which can find no defender among the physiologists of ,great ,britain4 ,it has been my fortune to know something of the large hospitals of ,europe2 and ,i confess ,i do not know a single one in countries where painful vivisection flourishes1 unchecked by law1 wherein the poor and needy sick are treated with the sympathy1 the delicacy1 or even the decency1 which so universally characterize the hospitals of ,england4 ,when ,magendie1 operating for cataract1 plunged his needle to the bottom of his patient's eye1 that he might note upon a human being the effect produced by mechanical irritation of the retina1 he demonstrated how greatly the zeal of the enthusiast may impair the responsibility of the physician and the sympathy of man for man4 ,,iii4 ,the utility of vivisection in advancing therapeutics1 despite much argument1 still remains an open question4 ,no one is so foolish as to deny the possibility of future usefulness to any discovery whatever2 but there is a distinction1 very easily slurred over in the eagerness of debate1 between present applicability and remotely potential service4 ,if the pains inflicted on animals are absolutely necessary to the protection of human life and the advancement of practical skill in medicine1 should sentiment be permitted to check investigation8 ,an ,english prelate1 the ,bishop of ,peterborough1 speaking in ,parliament on this subject1 once told the ,house of ,lords that it was very difficult to decide what was unnecessary pain1 and as an example of the perplexities which arose in his own mind he mentioned the case of the wretched man who was convicted of skinning cats alive1 because their skins were more valuable when taken from the living animal than from the dead one4 ,the extra money1 added the ,bishop1 got the man a dinner6,a ,whether in this particular case the excuse was well received by the judge1 the reverend prelate neglected to inform us2 but it is certain that the plea for painful experimentation rests substantially on the same basis4 ,out of the agonies of sentient brutes we are to pluck the secret of longer living and the art of surer triumph over intractable disease4 ,a ,see ,hansard's ,parliamentary ,debates1 ,june #bj1 #ahgf4 ,but has this hope been fulfilled8 ,pasteur1 we are told1 has claimed the discovery of a cure for hydrophobia through experiments on animals4 ,it may be well worth its cost if only true2 but we cannot forget that its practical value is by no means yet demonstrated4 ,aside from this1 has physiological experimentation during the last quarter of a century contributed such marked improvements in therapeutic methods that we find certain and tangible evidence thereof in the diminishing fatality of any disease8 ,can one mention a single malady which thirty years ago resisted every remedial effort1 to which the more enlightened science of to-day can offer hopes of recovery8 ,these seem to me perfectly legitimate and fair questions1 and1 fortunately1 in one respect1 capable of a scientific reply4 ,i suppose the opinion of the late ,claude ,bernard1 of ,paris1 would be generally accepted as that of the highest scientific authority on the utility of vivisection in practical medicine2 but he tells us that it is hardly worth while to make the inquiry4 ,without doubt1 he confessed1 our hands are empty to-day1 although our mouths are full of legitimate promises for the future4 ,was ,claude ,bernard correct in this opinion as to the empty hands8 ,if scientific evidence is worth anything1 it points to the appalling conclusion that1 notwithstanding all the researches of physiology1 the chief forms of chronic disease exhibit to-day in ,england a greater fatality than thirty years ago4 ,in the following table ,i have indicated the average annual mortality1 per million inhabitants1 of certain diseases1 first1 for the period of five years from #ahej to #ahed1 and secondly1 for the period twenty-five years later1 from #ahge to #ahgi4 ,the authority is beyond question2 the facts are collected from the report to ,parliament of the ,registrar-general of ,england3 ,average ,annual ,rate of ,mortality in ,england1 from ,causes of ,death1 per ,one ,million ,inhabitants4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,during ,during ,,name ,,of ,,disease4 ,five ,years1 ,five ,years1 #ahej-ed4 #ahge-gi4 ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,gout1 #ab #be ,aneurism1 #af #cb ,diabetes1 #bc #da ,insanity1 #bi #eg ,syphilis1 #cg #hf ,epilepsy1 #aje #aai ,bright's disease1 #cb #ahb ,kidney disease1 #id #aad ,brain disease1 #aib #bha ,liver disease1 #bae #bia ,heart disease1 #fea #a1cce ,cancer1 #cjb #dib ,paralysis1 #ddj #eja ,apoplexy1 #ded #eeb ,tubercular diseases and diseases of the ,respiratory ,organs1 #f1dbd #f1hhf ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,mortality from above diseases3 #i1jbf #aj1iid ---------------------------------------- ------------------------ ,this is certainly a most startling exhibit1 when we remember that from only these few causes about half of all the deaths in ,england annually occur1 and that from them result the deaths of two-thirds of the persons1 of both sexes1 who reach the age of twenty years4,a ,what are the effects here discernible of ,bernard's experiments upon diabetes8 of ,brown-,sequard's upon epilepsy and paralysis8 of ,flint's and ,pavy's on diseases of the liver8 of ,ferrier's researches upon the functions of the brain8 ,let us appeal from the heated enthusiasm of the experimenter to the stern facts of the statistician4 ,why1 so far from having obtained the least mastery over those malignant forces which seem forever to elude and baffle our art1 they are actually gaining upon us2 every one of these forms of disease is more fatal to-day in ,england than thirty years ago2 during #ahgi over sixty thousand more deaths resulted from these maladies alone than would have occurred had the rate of mortality from them been simply that which prevailed during the benighted period of #ahej to #ahed6 ,true1 during later years there has been a diminished mortality in ,england1 but it is from the lesser prevalence of zymotic diseases1 which no one to-day pretends to cure2 while the organic diseases show a constant tendency to increase4 ,part of this may be due to more accurate diagnosis and clearer definition of mortality causes3 but this will not explain a phenomenon which is too evident to be overlooked4 ,a ,in #ahgi the total mortality in ,england1 above the age of twenty1 from all causes whatsoever1 was #bhg1jic4 ,of these deaths1 the number occasioned by the sixteen causes above named1 was #aia1gjf1 or almost exactly two-thirds4 ,it is a fact1 says the ,registrar-general1 in his report for #ahgi1 that while mortality in early life has been very notably diminished1 the mortality of persons in middle or advanced life has been steadily rising for a long period of years4 ,it is probable that the same story would be told by the records of ,france1 ,germany1 and other ,european countries2 it is useless1 of course1 to refer to ,america1 since in regard to statistical information we still lag behind every country which pretends to be civilized4,a ,undoubtedly it would be a false assumption which from these facts should deduce retrogression in medical art or deny advance and improvement2 but they certainly indicate that the boasted superiority of modern medicine over the skill of our fathers1 due to physiological researches1 is not sustained by the only impartial authority to which science can appeal for evidence of results4 ,a ,even ,japan1 a country we are apt to consider as somewhat benighted1 has far better statistical information at hand than the ,united ,states of ,america4 99 99 99 99 99 ,what then is the substance of the whole matter8 ,it seems to me the following conclusions are justified by the facts presented4 ,i4 ,all experiments upon living animals may be divided into two general classes2 #ast those which produce pain1--slight1 brief1 severe or atrociously acute and prolonged2 and #bnd1 those experiments which are performed under complete ansthesia from which either death ensues during unconsciousness1 or entire recovery may follow4 ,,ii4 ,the majority of vivisections requisite for purposes of teaching physiological facts may be so carried on as to take life with less pain or inconvenience to the animal than is absolutely necessary in order to furnish meat for our tables4 ,those who would make it a penal offense to submit to a class of college students the unconscious and painless demonstration of functional activity of the heart1 for example1 and yet demand for the gratification of appetite the daily slaughter of oxen and sheep without ansthetics1 and without any attempt to minimize the agony of terror1 fear and pain--may not be inconsistent4 ,but it is a view the writer cannot share4 ,,iii4 ,prohibition of all experiments may be fairly demanded by those who believe that the enthusiastic ardor of the scientific experimenter or lecturer1 will outweigh all considerations of good faith1 provided success or failure of his experiment depend on the consciousness of pain4 ,in other words1 that the experimenter himself1 as a rule1 cannot be trusted to obey the law1 should the law restrict4 ,this also is an extreme position4 ,,iv4 ,absolute liberty in the matter of painful experiments has produced admitted abuses by physiologists of ,germany1 ,france and ,italy4 ,in ,america it has led to the repetition before classes of students of ,magendie's extreme cruelties1--demonstrations which have been condemned by every leading ,english physiologist4 ,v4 ,in view of the dangerous impulses not unfrequently awakened by the sight of pain intentionally inflicted1 experiments of this kind should be by legal enactment absolutely forbidden before classes of students1 especially in our ,public ,schools4 ,,vi4 ,it is not in accord with scientific accuracy to contend for unlimited freedom of painful experimentation1 on the ground of its vast utility to humanity in the discovery of new methods for the cure of disease4 ,on the contrary1 so far as can be discovered by a careful study of ,english mortality statistics1 physiological experiments upon living animals for fifty years back have in no single instance lessened the fatality of any disease below its average of thirty-five years ago4 ,,vii4 ,vivisection1 involving the infliction of pain is1 even in its best possible aspect1 a necessary evil1 and ought at once to be restricted within the narrowest limits1 and placed under the supervision of the ,state4 ,,appendix4 ,i4 ,for reasons sufficiently stated in the preceding pages1 the writer does not advocate the total abolition of all experimentation4 ,it is only fair to acknowledge1 however1 that very strong and weighty arguments in favor of legal repression have been advanced both in this country and abroad1 some of which are herewith presented1 as the other side of the question4 ,the cause of abolition has no more earnest and eloquent advocate than ,miss ,frances ,power ,cobbe of ,england4 ,through innumerable controversies with scientific men in the public journals1 magazines and reviews1 she has presented in awful array1 the abuses of unlimited and uncontrolled experimentation on the continent of ,europe1 and the arguments in favor of total repression4 ,the following letters1 extracts from her public correspondence1 will indicate her position4 ,,tender ,,vivisection4 7,,to ,,the ,,editor ,,of ,,the ,,scotsman47 #a1 ,victoria ,street1 ,london1 ,s4 ,w41 ,january #aj1 #ahha4 ,,sir4--,an ,italian pamphlet1 ,dell',azione del ,dolore sulla ,respirazione 7,the ,action of ,pain on ,respiration71 has just reached my hands1 and as it is1 ,i think1 quite unknown in this country1 ,i will beg you to grant me space for a few extracts from its pages4 ,the pamphlet is by the eminent physiologist1 ,mantegazza1 and was published by ,chiusi1 of ,milan4 ,having explained the object of his investigations to be the effects of pain on the respiratory organs1 the ,professor describes 7p4 #bj7 the methods he devised for the production of such pain4 ,he found the best to consist in planting nails1 sharp and numerous1 through the feet of the animal in such a manner as to render the creature almost motionless1 because in every movement it would have felt its torment more acutely 7piantando chiodi acuti e numerosi attraverso le piante dei piedi in modo da rendere immobile o quasi l'animale1 perch ad ogni movimento avrebbe sentito molto piu acuto il suo tormento74 ,further on he mentions that1 to produce still more intense pain 7dolore intenso7 he was obliged to employ lesions1 followed by inflammation4 ,an ingenious machine1 constructed by our ,tecnomasio1 of ,milan1 enabled him likewise to grip any part of an animal with pincers with iron teeth1 and to crush1 or tear1 or lift up the victim1 so as to produce pain in every possible way4 ,a drawing of this instrument is appended4 ,the first series of his experiments1 ,signor ,mantegazza informs us1 were tried on twelve animals1 chiefly rabbits and guinea pigs1 of which several were pregnant4 ,one poor little creature1 far advanced in pregnancy1 was made to endure dolori atrocissimi1 so that it was impossible to make any observations in consequence of its convulsions4 ,in the second series of experiments twenty-eight animals were sacrificed1 some of them taken from nursing their young1 exposed to torture for an hour or two1 then allowed to rest an hour1 and usually replaced in the machine to be crushed or torn by the ,professor for periods of from two to six hours more4 ,in the table wherein these experiments are summed up1 the terms molto dolore and crudeli dolori are delicately distinguished1 the latter being apparently reserved for the cases when the victims were1 as the ,professor expresses it1 lardellati di chiodi--7larded with nails74 ,in conclusion1 the author informs us 7p4 #be7 that these experiments were all conducted con molto amore e pazienza6--with much zeal and patience4 ,i am1 etc41 ,,frances ,,power ,,cobbe4 ,in a controversy with ,dr4 ,pye-,smith1 who had read a paper before the ,british ,association1 ,miss ,cobbe writes as follows to one of the public journals3 ,dr4 ,pye-,smith is reported to have said3 ',happily1 the neccessary experiments were comparatively few4' ,few6 ,what are a few experiments8 ,professor ,schiff in ten years experimented on #ad1jjj dogs1 given over to him by the ,municipality of ,florence1 and returned their carcases so mangled that the man who had contracted for their skins found them useless4 ,he also experimented on pigeons1 cats1 and rabbits to the number1 it is calculated1 of #gj1jjj creatures2 and he now asks for ten dogs a week in ,geneva4 ,all over ,germany and ,france there are laboratories using 7as the horrible phrase is7 numberless animals1 inasmuch as ,i have just received a letter stating that dogs are actually becoming scarce in ,lyons1 and it is proposed to breed them for the purpose of ,vivisection4 ,be this true or not1 ,i invite any of your readers to visit the office of the ,victoria ,street ,society1 and examine the volumes of splendid plates of vivisecting instruments1 which will there be shown them1 and then judge for themselves whether it be for a few experiments that those elaborate and costly inventions have become a regular branch of manufacture4 ,let them examine the volume of the ,english handbook of the physiological laboratory1 the volume of ,cyon's magnificent atlas1 with its #ed plates1 the ,archives de ,physiologie1 with its #aia plates1 the ,physiologische ,methodik1 or ,claude ,bernard's ,leons sur la ,chaleur ,animale1 with its pictures of the stoves wherein he baked dogs and rabbits alive2 and after these sights of disgust and horror they will know how to understand the word few in the vocabulary of a physiologist4 ,i am glad to hear that a ,german opponent of ,vivisection recently entering a shop devoted to the sale of these tools of torture1 was greeted by the proprietor with a volley of abuse3 ',it is you and your friends1' he said1 'who are destroying my trade4 ,i used to sell a hundred of ,czermak's tables and other instruments for one ,i sell now4' ,dr4 ,pye-,smith said3 ',many of the experiments inflicted no pain or injury whatever1 and the great majority of the rest were rendered painless by the use of those beneficial agents which abolished pain and had themselves been discovered by experiments upon living animals4' ,as to the use of ansthetics in annulling the agonies of mutilated animals1 the audience ought to have asked ,dr4 ,pye-,smith to explain whether he intended to refer to chloroform1 or the narcotic morphia1 or1 lastly1 to the drug curare4 ,if he referred to chloroform1 ,dr4 ,hoggan tells from his own experience 7,ansthetics1 p4 #a71 that 'nothing can be more uncertain than its influence on the lower animals2 many of them die before they become insensible4 ,complete and conscientious ansthesia is seldom even attempted1 the animal getting at most a slight whiff of chloroform by way of satisfying the conscience of the operator1 or enabling him to make statements of a humane character4' ,even if it were conscientiously administered at the beginning of an experiment1 how little would chloroform diminish the misery of ,rutherford's dogs or ,brunton's ninety cats1 whose long-drawn agonies extended over many days8 ,how little could it affect in any way the cases of starving1 poisoning1 baking1 stewing to death1 or burning1--like the twenty-five dogs over which ,professor ,wertheim poured turpentine and then set them on fire1 leaving them afterwards slowly to perish8 ,if ,dr4 ,pye-,smith was thinking of morphia1 the reader may refer to ,claude ,bernard's ,leons de ,physiologie ,operatoire1 where he will find that great physiologists recommends its use2 but at the same time mentions 7as of no particular consequence7 that the animal subjected to its influence still 'suffers pain4' ,i can hardly suppose1 lastly1 that ,dr4 ,pye-,smith was secretly thinking of curare1 and that he is one of those whom ,tennyson says would ,mangle the living dog which loved him and fawned at his knee1 ,drenched with the hellish oorali4 ,it is bad enough to mangle a loving and intelligent creature without adding to its agonies the paralysis of the powers of motion1 and the increased sensibility to pain occasioned by this horrible drug1 which nevertheless ,bernard1 in the work above quoted1 says is in such common use among physiologists1 that when an experiment is not otherwise described1 it may always be taken for granted it has been performed on a curarized dog4 ,finally1 ,dr4 ,pye-,smith says1 ,it was remarkable that the small residue of experiments in which some amount of pain was necessary were chiefly those in which the direct and immediate benefit to mankind was more obvious4 ,he referred to the trying of drugs on animals1 to discovering antidotes to poisons1 etc4 ,the bribe here offered to human selfishness is an ingenious one4 ,let us1 the physiologists say1 retain the right to put animals to torture1 for it is very 'remarkable' that when we do so it is always in your interest6 ,unluckily for this appeal to the meaner feelings of human nature1 which these modern instructors of our young men are not ashamed to put forward1 it is difficult for them to hit on any one instance wherein out of their few 7million7 experiments any good to mankind has been1 even apparently1 achieved4 ,as ,claude ,bernard honestly said1 at least as regards any benefit for suffering humanity1 ,nos mains sont vides4 ,as to the trying of drugs on animals1 ,dr4 ,pritchard1 who is1 ,i believe1 the best living authority on the subject1 told the ,royal ,commission 7,minutes1 #ijh71 ,i do not think that the use of drugs on animals can be taken as a guide to the doses or to the action of the same drugs on the human subjects4 ,as to the discovery of antidotes to poison1 the only man who seems on the verge of any success is the brave and noble fellow who has been trying such experiments not on animals but on himself4 ,in conclusion1 ,i must add one word on ,dr4 ,pye-,smith's last sentence1 namely1 that legislation against vivisection is injurious to the best interests of the community4 ,sir1 ,i know not what vivisectors deem to be the best interests of the community4 ,for my part ,i do not reckon them to be the influence of drugs1 nor yet susceptible of being carved out with surgical instruments4 ,i do not think that they consist in escape from physical pain1 nor even in the prolongation for a few years of our little earthly life4 ,i hold that the best interests of the community are the moral and immortal interests of every soul in such community1 namely1 the conquest of selfishness1 cowardice1 and cruelty1 and the development of the god-like sense of justice and love--the growth of the divinest thing in human nature1 the faculty of sympathizing with the joys and sorrows of all ,god's creatures4 ,believing these to be the best interests of the community1 ,i ask1 without hesitation1 for the suppression of this abominable trade1 which can best be described as ,pitilessness practised as a profession4 ,if vivisection be indeed the true method of studying physiology1 if physiology cannot be advanced except by vivisection1 if chemical observation and microscopic research be useless for the purpose1 and nothing but the torture of animals and the demoralization of men will suffice for its progress--then1 in ,god's name1 ,i say1 let physiology stop at the point it has reached1 even till the day of doom4--,i am1 ,sir1 with apologies for the length of this letter1 yours1 etc4 ,,frances ,,power ,,cobbe 99 99 99 99 99 ,certainly1 as regards the ethics of vivisection1 nothing more eloquent has ever been written than this closing paragraph4 ,in a letter to the ,london ,,times in ,december1 #ahhd1 ,miss ,cobbe writes as follows3 ,,to ,,the ,,editor4 ,,sir1--,in your article on this subject on ,saturday last you called upon the opponents of vivisection to answer certain questions4 ,as ,i have been intrusted for many years with the hon4 secretaryship of the leading anti-vivisectionist society1 ,i beg to offer you the following replies to those questions3-- ,you ask first1 ,do we deny that vivisection is capable of yielding knowledge of service to man8 ,we are not so rash as to deny that any practice1 even the most immoral conceivable1 might possibly yield knowledge of service to man2 and1 in particular1 we do not deny that the vivisection of human beings by the surgeons of classic times1 and again by the great anatomists of ,italy in the #aeth century1 may very possibly have yielded knowledge to man1 and be capable1 if revived1 of yielding still more4 ,we have1 however1 for a long time back called on the advocates of the vivisection of dogs1 monkeys1 c41 to furnish evidence of the beneficial results of their work1 not as setting at rest the question of its morality1 but as an indispensable preliminary to justify them in coming into the court of public opinion as defendants of a practice obviously 7as the ,royal ,commissioners reported7 liable from its very nature to great abuse4 ,we must be excused if we now hold it to be demonstrated that1 whether vivisection be or be not capable of yielding useful knowledge1 it certainly yields only a scanty crop of it4 ,were there anything like an abundant harvest1 such a sample as this would not have been produced with so much pomp for public scrutiny4 ,in short1 we think with ,dr4 ,leffingwell that1 if pain could be measured by money1 there is no mining company in the world which would sanction prospecting in such barren regions4 ,you ask us1 ,sir1 secondly1 ,do we affirm that the benefit of mankind is not an adequate or sufficient justification for the infliction of pain on animals8 ,we have two answers to this question4 ,assuming that by vivisection benefits might be obtained for human bodies1 we hold that the evil results of the practice on human minds would more than counterbalance any such benefits4 ,the cowardice and pitilessness involved in tying down a dog on a table and slowly mangling its brain1 its eyes1 its entrails2 the sin committed against love and fidelity themselves when a creature capable of dying of grief on his master's grave is dealt with as a mere parcel of material tissues1 valuable for purposes of research--these are basenesses for which no physical advantages would compensate1 and the prevalence of such a heart-hardening process among our young men would1 we are convinced1 detract more from the moral interests of our nation than a thousand cases of recovery from disease would serve those of a lower kind4 ,even life itself ought not to be saved by such methods1 any more than by the cannibalism of the men of the ,mignonette4 ,our second answer is yet more brief4 ,we do not deny that the benefit of man is a sufficient justification for inflicting pain upon animals1 provided that pain is kept within moderate bounds1 nor yet to taking life from them in a quick and careful manner4 ,but we do deny the right of man to inflict torture upon brutes1 and thus convert their lives from a blessing into a curse4 ,such torture has been inflicted upon tens of thousands of animals by vivisection2 and no legislation that ingenuity can devise will1 we believe1 suffice to guard against the repetition of it so long as it is sanctioned in any way as a method of research4 ,the use of vivisection--if it have any use--is practically inseparable from abuse4 ,we therefore call upon our countrymen to forego the poor bribes of possible use which are offered to them1 and of which we have now seen a unique and impressive example1 and generously and manfully to say of vivisection as they once said of slavery ,we will have none of it4 ,i am1 ,sir1 yours1 etc41 ,,frances ,,power ,,cobbe4 ,hengwrt1 ,dolgelly1 ,dec4 #bh1 #ahhd4 ,,ii4 ,report of ,american ,anti-vivisection ,society1 ,jan4 #ahhh4 ,there remain two grounds to adopt3 one the total abolition of all experiments2 the other the total abolition of all painful experiments4 ,this latter position1 which is the one that ,dr4 ,bigelow of ,boston and ,dr4 ,leffingwell have assumed1 has engaged our attention for a long time2 but1 after bestowing upon it careful consideration1 we feel that we must give it up as impracticable4 ,to secure immunity from pain there must be absolutely perfect ansthesia4 ,this can be only obtained in two ways3 one is by trusting to the experimenter himself to give sufficient of the ansthetic2 the other to insist that an assistant shall be present for the express purpose of keeping the animal under perfect ansthesia4 ,now is it anyway likely that either of these conditions would be observed8 ,,iii4 ,from the ,therapeutic ,gazette1 ,detroit1 ,aug41 #ahhj4 ,vivisection is grossly abused in the ,united ,states4 99 99 ,we would add our condemnation of the ruthless barbarity which is every winter perpetrated in the ,medical ,schools of this country4 ,history records some frightful atrocities perpetrated in the name of ,religion2 but it has remained for the enlightenment and humaneness of this century to stultify themselves by tolerating the abuses of the average physiological laboratory--all conducted in the name of ,science4 ,there is only one way to progress in ,therapeutics2 and that is by clinical observation2 the noting of the action of individual drugs under particular diseased conditions4 ,he who has the largest practice and is the keenest observer1 and the most systematic recorder of what he sees1 does the most to advance ,medicine4 ,,iv4 ,from editorial in ,the ,spectator1 ,london1 ,july #ag1 #ahhj4 ,a memorial for the absolute abolition of vivisection has been presented to ,mr4 ,gladstone with a great many most influential signatures attached4 ,for our own part1 were the experiments on the inoculation of animal diseases excepted1--experiments which1 we venture to say1 have sometimes proved of the greatest value to animals themselves1--we should1 on the whole1 be content to go with the abolitionists1 not because we think all experiments1 especially when conducted under strict ansthetics1 wrong1 but because when they are permitted at all it is so extremely difficult to enforce properly and fully humane conditions4 ,dr4 ,a4 ,leffingwell has sufficiently shown in the able paper in the ,july ,scribner's ,magazine1 how extremely few remedies of value have resulted from this awfully costly expenditure of anguish4 ',if pain could be estimated in money' he justly says1 'no corporation would be satisfied with such a waste of capital4' ,take1 as the single illustration of this most weighty sentence1 ,dr4 ,leffingwell's statement that what the late ,dr4 ,sharpey called ',magendie's infamous experiment' on the stomach of the dog1 has been repeated #bjj times without establishing to the satisfaction of scientific physiologists the theory for which that act of wickedness was first committed4 ,no wonder the society for the ,protection of ,animals from ,vivisection goes to extremes4 ,,transcriber',s ,,notes #a4 ,passages in italics are surrounded by underscores4 #b4 ,footnotes have been moved from the middle of a paragraph to the closest paragraph break4 #c4 ,some obvious punctuation errors in the text have been silently corrected1 for example1 missing period at a paragraph end1 etc4 #d4 ,the following misprints have been corrected3 sufering corrected to suffering 7page #ad7 anthetics corrected to ansthetics 7page #dh7 #e4 ,other than the corrections listed above1 printer's inconsistencies in spelling1 punctuation and hyphenation have been retained4