==History==
FYI: "Galen, a physician in second-century Rome, dissected pigs and goats, and is known as the "father of vivisection." [17]"

This claim comes from a section on the LPAG site that says: "Then, during second century Rome, a physician named Galen began to dissect animals because Church protocol did not allow human autopsies. He began to dissect goats and pigs and compared his findings to what he knew about humans. He is now known as the "father of vivisection."2

Following this citation back, it comes from Greek CR, Greek JS (2000) Sacred Cows and Golden Geese. The Continuum International Publishing Group, Inc., New York, New York., which, in turn, is based on a passage from Hans Ruesch's Slaughter of the Innocent.

From 157 and 161, Galen worked as a doctor to gladiators at Pergamum. This was around the time that Christians were being persecuted by Roman authorities and used as dispoable items in the games. Galen undoubtedly had opportunity to examine many ripped and torn human bodies, and there is no reason to imagine that he would not have been allowed to fiddle about on dying Christians, though I've come across no records that he did. "Church protocol," in this referenced passage is a claim not supported by the historical setting.

Here's a statement from another website: "Vivisection originated in second century Rome when Galen, physician to gladiators, was prevented from continuing his dissections of human cadavers by the Church-led moral opposition. He switched his attention to goats and monkeys instead and thus became the 'father of vivisection'. http://www.allaboutanimals.org.uk/PT-Testing.asp

And another: "In second century Rome, the state-supported Church frowned upon the co-called desecration of human corpses and autopsies were outlawed. With no human bodies to learn from, the respected physician to the gladiators, Galen, had little choice but to cut up pigs and other animals, hence earning him the title 'Father of Vivisection.'" http://www.ark-ii.com/campaigns/

This is a widespread claim, undermined when it is realized that Christians had no standing in the Roman Empire during Galen's time. What is very likely is that Galen learned things about human physiology from seeing so many people ripped apart, stabbed, clubbed, mauled, and otherwise opened to inspection. He probably sought to test his conjectures about what all this exposed tissue actualy did by dissecting living animals; at a tme when no real pain relief was available, a person in his position must have grown innured to seeing others' agony. This would have made his animal victims' cries unremarkable to him.

A more believable source observes: "Under Nero in the 1st century AD, even the torture of Christians became a star attraction at the Circus Caligulas. There were few protests against such marketable massacres." http://www.iridescent-publishing.com/rtm/ch1p1.htm

Just another example of the way that questionable claims become "fact" in today's virtual world. Becareful about what you read and cite.