, 1877-03-04
PAINFUL EXPERIMENTS mn MANI


new development OF the discussion IN ~.
gard to the restriction OF viviscctton, which haa
proceeded for some mouths in the English 1oor,
nails, is afforded BY two cases OF medical cruelty
recently brought to light. The facts are not
vaguely stated, but arc set forth with cIrcum.
stantiality in regard to names. places, md dates
The statements arc made, moreover, not In anv
sensational journal, but ID the recognized orpan
Of medical opinion in Great Britain, the Laue<t
ITSELF Both Of the sufferers were patients in
the Glasgow Royal Infrma1y, md we're 7Hdlctea
| with hydrophobii+ The first case was that OF a
man bitten By dog on the ed of July who did
not develop hydrpphobic symptoms uptu
the 22d OF September. He i: was admit
ted to the iuf1rmary on the 9Th of the
| latter mouth, when the disease was raging
! in his system with unusual violence; On the
morning Of the day inter be was first treated
be gave evidence Of improvement, and hopes
| we're expressed OF his recovery But at $50 in
the afternoon Of that day dog passed through
the ward, and vas seen BY him. Immediately
his madness returned with renewed 7igor, and
he grew steadily worse from that time unt1 the
III Of October, when he died. It IL hinted that
the appearance OF the dog an unusual thing In
hospita1-was not accidental, but had been
planned BY some OF the medical attendants, who
wished to experiment upon the patient; whether
this hypothesis Is correct or not, 1t Is In meas
ure borne out by the fnct that very cruel e1-
periments OF s1lghter kind were deliberately
tried upon him afterwards. His horror Of water
was we'll marked; yet We find In the medical
reports careful descriptions Of the effect pro-
duced upon the patient BY the pouring Of water
from one vessel to another IN his hearing, and
By the sprinkling Of q few drops upon his face.
In lucid interval, after this last interesting ;
and valuable experiment, the patient complain.
ed Of It such . low trick being done upon him."
At other times he begged unava1linglT to have
the running water in m adjoining room stopped.
and asked to have those about him take him
into Quiet room and make an end Of him.
When breathed upon and famed By towel he
invariably became i1cohereut and manfacal,
which symptoms the medical attendants chose
to consider another important scientific dis
coycry, and consequently lost no favorable
opportunity to breathe upon him and fan him.
Ono Of the attendants records the phenomenon
that, after spasm caused by an melting object,
the patient remained comparatively quiet,
t'without be was again provoked" This IS,
positive proof that he was provoked. and on,
more than one occasion. The second hydro
phobic patient Was admitted to the same In
6rmary on Oct. 1G. With the recent experience
afforded By the suferings OF the previous
patient, one Of the physicians took a basin,
containing water, and, lifting up some In 4.
[adle, allowed it to drop with a splash"
The man was lying comparatively quiet,
but on hearing this he started up and
:ried, "oh, Con, that water! that
water! Save me! Save met'' On being again
tortured the man cried out: tsDon't annoy me-;
lon't annoy me. You are criticisins me to in
:rease your knowledge, not for my good"
The force Of this reproach will be felt by all
az and professional readers in. this country, as
t has been In Great Britain: I've may go far
her and say that both these patients we're tor
ured bY these Glasgow medical men not for
he purpose Of. increasing the sum Of human
knowledge, Or even for the small end Of adding
o their own professional requirements, but
merely from spirit OF td1e-we may also say:
rimInal- The symptoms attending
sgg7avated cases OF h7drophobia have been again
nd again described in the books. Nothing IS
1earer than that hydrophoblc patient has a
Mortal aversion to watcr; and 1t Is q proposition
ain nothing from customary suffering neefliessly
afflicted. These cases, It may trutnfully be said,
re isolated. They show neither the practice Of
be profession nor the spirit Of respectable med
al men towards human suffering. They do
how, however, that the canons Of professional
ecorum in this respect are not sorigidly defined
5 they ought to be. The bearings OF the facts
n viyisectfon are also important. They furnish
1stifcation, II. any were needed, Of the bM
u the subject lately. brought up in ;the
ritish Parliament. So long as eminent med
al men, like those In charge Of the
lasgow Intiru,ary, can lend themselves to cruel:
such as that described in the Lanct, thercfs
, assurance that yiyisectton will be conducted
:operly without legal supervision. There u
ainly need Of lawAof1lcer at the elbow OF
cry enthusiastic Doctor: II the lower animals
e to be cut I'D in the cause OF science. they
ould be cut up By practitioners whose human
: is gently stimulated by the knowledge Of
gal penalties for the inhtction Of unnecessary 20
Gering.
r children had joined the Church OF Rome has
en- officially denied. Had the runor been
ne, the Grown Prince ERNEST and bis sisters
,uld have forfeited their rights .of succession
the Crown Of England The forfeiture, how
er, would have been OF little account, as they
C thirty-dfth in the line Of succession. The
der as it DOW stands is, the Prince OF Wales
d his chi1dr en-, the Duke OF EdinbuEg and
5 children, the Duke Of Connaught, ,Priucs
:oPoLD, the Princess Imperial Of Germany.
ince WILLIAM OF Prussia and his six brothers
1-f.A Dr. 1r{V