The Portland daily press., 1874-08-06
lFrom the Philadelphia Press.l

Dr. Ox, speaking to his assistant, Gideon
igene, Is made to say: st is in the interests
OF scieDess- Whataw you say if the docs
and frogs refused to lend themselves 10 f6e
experiments OF vivisection?" Verne him
sen Then takes up the parable and continues.
Is probable that ii the dogs and frogs
were consulted, they would offer soioe obiec
tioi 10 the operation OF vivisection; but DIR.
ox imagined that he had an irrefutabIe areu-
tneht, Tor he heayed great sigh OF satisiac-
tion.' Doubtless NJ. Verne is right as TO the
leelinss oil ANIMALS who are made to suffsr
death by slow torture to the end that science
may advance, but whether the people who
condemn the practice of vivsection on the
double ground OF cruelty aid uselessness are
ri9nt' Is another question. 1t has be en- the
custom among the members OF the Society
'or the Prevention OF Cruelty to Animals.
and Their friends, to attack tine practice yery
saVaSely, ana say very unpleasant things
ABOUT the respectable old gentlemen who
nave oeen and are engaged in it; and the TACT
tnat i!ttie has been said IL answer TO the al
tacks has only made the attackers more ex
cited and determined, il being always diff
Gull, and rather irritating, to argue when the
other side will not answer back. In quiet,
practical sort OF way, apparently without any
thought OF an argument, or OF anything else
except OF adding TO the knowledge OF tie
world, Professor Schiff of Florence, who has
long been the head and front OF the yiyisect-
ing offenders, has just published book in
which he gives the result of his experience:
and really, although he does not even allude
TO it, he seems to knock the bottom out OF
DIS opponents theoIy. His experiments, fer
instance, touching the use OF anasthetics-
experiments which depended absolutely on
yivisection for their success-are very far
from leading TO no useful result" or being
''mere acts Of needless cruelty" By them
he has demonstrated the superiority al ether
to chloroform, on the ground of safety to hu-
man lite. Chloroform acts more quickly i'm
producing ins 'bility, bu. it has a .)ara.yz-
ing tendency which is extremely danger, us,
aud besides this, in many cases, it exerts a
peculiarly evil influence over the nervous Or
gan. .zalion, particularly over. the nerves OF
the heart and vessels. II used even mCder-
ately, the tone of the system is suddenly
lowered, and the bodily force materially
weakened. while, ii continued to the roint of
producing cessation OF respiration, reyivifi-
cation is attended with great difficulty, fire.
quently being altogether impossible. With
ether, on the contrary, while producing in
sensibllity less rapidly, the effect on the sys-
tenn is certain TO he uuatte nded by any hurt
ful result-that is unless the grossest care
lessness is dispa led in administering it-md
its ultimate action is quite sufficient for all
purposes OF surgery. DR.. SchiR is so con-
vinced of the facts which he has ascertained
as TO af1rm that every case OF death result
ing from the application of ether is wholly
due to the ircompetency of the physician by
whom 1t may have been administered In a
word, the investigation has proved that
While ether may be inhaled by any one if due
caution is exercised, chloroorm depends for
its safe use upon some unknown quantity in
the organization of the person inhaling it.
and consequently in despite of the most
watchful care it may produce death. If mo-
Other result was gained by vivisecton than
the determination of this important point in
medical science, the unfortunate dogs and
rabbits and chickens and frogs who have been
offered up on the altar of progress would not
have died in vain; and sorry though we may
be for the poor little sufferers, we cannot but
believe, to paraphrase the obituary notices,
that their loss is our gain.