Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1890-07-16
ABOUT VIVISECTIoN.
Its Practice Necessary for tho Good OF
Humanity.

wv PShSOAS, W bGlr up puDllC SenC1menG
against the practice of vivisection. In
tho pamphlets which they scatter broad
cast over tho land thcy describe how
tho professors Of physiology arc treating
the poor dumb creatures, who, being
deprived by nature Of language, can not
even give expression to their pain Or
accuse those who so unfeelingly. cause
Thorn to suffer.
Reading these descriptions, which I'M
doubtedly are based upon facts, heart
of stone must melt in pity, and people
whose imagination permits them to put
themselves in the place of tho dogs,
cats, rabbits and frogs arc easily in
duced to petition legislation to prohibit
such practice.
Yet, says the Boston Globe, tho whole
subject has another aspect. II any of
these humane and sensitive persons
should BIO inflicted with disease the
cure Of which should require not alono
q wcll-learned physician, but ono who
could perform an operation with skill
full and steady hand, would thoy not
wish that such n man was available?
Would they not travel from one end of
the world to tho other in order to find
tho person who, by his knowledge and
skill, could prolong their lives for
couple of years? But whence shall that
knowledge or practice como to q physi-
clan IL he is not allowed to experiment.?
1t shocks as yet tho sentimentality
OF people that tho bodies of de-
ceased friends should be dissect-
ed, and the students of medicine
can obtain no other specimens
than the bodies of people who died
friendless in prisons or poor houses, or
such as grave-robberS would offer them
for sale. Yet such corpses arc without
great Va luo to science, because they
either do not show that special disease
which tho professor is treating in his
lectures, CT ShS information is lacking
in regard to tho progress of tho sickness
which caused the death. Post-mortem
examinations will havo much greater
value to science whom people permit tho
body Of friend to be dissectcd when
ever the physicians who treated that
person in life desires it.
Even then, however, tho study of
medicine can not reap tho full benefit.
The hand of tho physician who is to per-
form the operation must be trained on
subjects in which therc is lifo in order
that it may remain steady at the timo
when deviation of q millimctro from
the right line might cause tho death of
tho patient.
If tho professors Of physiology wero
mon who took vulgar delight in tho
agonies OF dying animals, or if the stu
dcnts were men who for tho sake of
pleasure crowded around tho dissecting
table, or If, finally, vast classes of pco-
pic would become infected with the
spirit of cruelty by the practice Of vivi-
section, the DIRECTORS would be right;
but while their objections show lAuda-
bio tenderness of heart, they go too far,
and forget that those who practice WV
iscction are but very few in numbers,
that they arc earnest mon who have n
warm noart Tor their rcIIow-crcaturcs,
and whose desire to rclicvc suffering is
tho motive OF their apparent Disregard
of pity.
There aro two moro points which
need to no answered. 1t is claimed that
without any uso to science animals arc
maltroatcd, and that, If viviGoction is to
DO permitted it should no restricted rs
closely as possible. Tho accusation and
proposition arc both utterly false. Tho
result of n thousand experiments docs
perhaps not bring about tho euro of ono
disease, but those experiments lead
towards tho discovery of tho principles
which undcrlio q disease, and nobody
can tell whcthor tho next experiment
will not be followed by q moro brilliant
success. AS evory yoGr now scholars
enter tho various schools OF medicine,
the samo field must DO gono over by tho
professor again and again. Tho student
must BIO shown by illustration how n
muscle or u ncrvo in lifc will act when
irritatcd, and his hand must DO trained
to operate upon o living being. From
the moment that wo shall cndeavor to
limit tho amount Of experiments
science will como to standstill
Tho second point il: Why should
these poor animals DO mado to suffer for
tho benefit Of tho human being? To
this answer: Why arc they killed to