Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1894-07-19

The vivisection question, which has
lately been discussed with much heat
In England, appears to be one on which
unanimity of judgment can never be
hoped for. On the one hand, If it be
necessary to medical science, it is evil
IDENTIFY closely connected with the health
of the community. On the other hand,
If it be irreconcilable with moral con-
duct, it is the duty of the community
to prevent it at any cost. On the
admission of the most learned theolo-
gians, the infiiction of pain, and even
Of death, is permissible under certain
circumstances, and the concenSllS of
opinion is that the pain inflicted in vivi-
section is justified by the baneficent re-
suits attained through its infection in
the three fields of research alone-phy s.
lclogy, pathology and therapeutics. One
Journal in taking up the cudgels for
vivisection, states that one of the most
remarkable results ever immediately
obtained from it is the successful treat
ment OF "myXoedema," horrible and
loathsome disease. The symptoms are
a scurfy growth all over the skin ac-
companied by the falling out of the
hair, but the chief feature is a gradual
loss of strength and development of the
most painful kind of idiocy, ending in
death. Patients suffering from this
complaint were formerly hidden away
in asylums. Now, thanks to the vivi-
section, they are restored to health
and sanity in the course Of a few
months. Previously to 1859 the action
of the thyroid gland in the throat was
an unsolved mystery. Patients suffer-
ing from gOitre We're in many cases
treated by removing this gland, and in
all cases they died. Schiff, of Geneva,
a most eminent psychologist, expert
mented with dogs to see whether it
was the removal of the thyroid gland
that caused death, and found that it
was. Horsey took up Schiff's work,
and discovered that the loss of the
thyroid gland produced myXoedema in
monkeys, and that they died of it.
He succeeded, however, by grating in
q thyroid gland from sheep in curing
the disease and averting death. Act
ing on this suggestion, DR.. Murray in
jected into a myxoedema patient an
extract of the thyroid gland. The
result was successful, and, eventually,
it was found that a patient need only
swallow this extract, and the cure Of
myXOedema was established. Very OK
tensive work is being carried on in
vivisection in Great Britain. The total
number of experiments performed in
1893 was 4,O46. In 1,201 case the ami
NAL suffered no pain, because complete
anaesthesia was maintained from be-
fore the commencement of the expert
ment until the animal was killed. In
2,254 experiments, the pain of the OPP
Grafton (which was practically always
of the nature of hypodermic injection
or inoculation), was trivial. 1t was al
ways made a condition of the certifi
cate, under which these experiments
were permitted, that IF severe pain has
been induced in an animal after any
of the experiments has been performed
under the certificate, and If the main
result Of the experiment has been at
tanned, it is condition of this license
that the animal be Immediately killed
under anaesthetics." In 591 expert
ments, the animals were anaesthetized
during the operation, but allowed to re-
cover. These operation were performed
with as much care as are 81 nilar opera
lions upon the human subject, and as
the wounds were dressed antiseptically,
no pain results during the healing proc
eSS.