The Bessemer indicator., 1894-08-18
SCIENTIFIC MATTERS.
INTERESTING INFORMATION ON
VARIOUS TOPICS.
Experiment.. on Living Animals
Metallic Eneciour Fastcaer-stcam m
Tree F-fiinE-Eicctrtc Light wires
Half IA Century Of Teleg grVphy.

The yivisection question. which has
lately been discussed with much heat
In England, appears to be one on which
,nanmity of Judgment can never be
hoped for On the one hand, II 1t be
necessary to medical science. 1t Is evil
IDENTIFY closely connected with the health
of the community. On the other hand,
II 1t be irreconcilable with moral con.
duct, 1t is the duty Of the community
10 prevent 1t at any cost. On the
admission of the most learned thsolo-
CLANS, the infilctlon of pain. and even
Of death, Is permissible under certain
circumstances, and the conccnsus of
opinion is Tint the pain inflicted In vlvi-
section Is justified by the benciicent re-
suits attained through its infiictloI In
the three fields OF research nlone-ph. g.
iclogy. pathology and therapeutics. One
| journal in taking up the cudgcls for
vlylsection. states that one Of the most
remarkable results ever Immediately
obtained from It is the successful treat
ment of 'myxoedc'na," n horrible and
loathsomc disease The symptoms are
scurfy growth all over the skin, nc-
companicd 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 few
months. Previously to 1859 the action
of the thyroid gland In the throat war
an uHsolved mystery. Patients suffer
Ing from goitrc were in many casca
| treated by removing this gland, und In
all cases they died. Schifr, of Geneva,
most eminent physiologist. expert
mentcd with dogs TO see whether 1t
was the removal OF the thyroid gland
that caused death. and found that 1t
was. liorsey took up Schiff's work,
and discovered that the loss of the
| thyroid gland produced myxocdema in
monkeys. and that they died of 1t.
| He succeeded. however. by grating in
n thyroid gland from II sheep In curing
the disease and avcrting death. Act.
ing on this suggestion. DR., Murray In.
jected into n myNoedcma patient an
extract Of the thyroid gland. The
result was successful. and, eventually,
1t was found that patient need only
swallow this extract. and the cure OF
myxoedcma was established. Very eX-
tensiye work is being carried on In
vivisection in Great Britain. The total
number OF experiments performed in
1893 was 4.OiG. In l,201 case the ami.
NAL suffered no pain, because complete
anncsthcsia was maintained from be.
fore the commencement of the expert
mcnt until the animal was killed. In
2,254 experiments. the pain of the op-
Grafton (which was practically always
Of the nature Of hypodermic injection
or inocrlation, was trivial 1t was nj
| ways made n condition of the certifl-
cate. under which these experiments
We're permitted. that ''if severe pain has
been induced In an animal after any
of the experiments has been performed
under the certificate. and IL the main
result OF the experiment has been at
taincd. It Is n condition OF this license
that the animal bc Immediately killed
under nnaesthetics.' In 591 expert
mcnts, the animals were anaesthetized
during the operation. but allowed to re-
cover. These operation were performed
with as much care rs are 81 nilnr opera
tlons upon the human subject. and as
the wounds We're dressed antiseptically,
no pain results during the healing proc