The Bessemer indicator., 1894-07-28

The yivisection question, which has
lately been discussed with much heat
In England, appears TO be one on which
rnnnimity of judgment can never be
hoped for On the one hand, II It be
necessary to medical science, 1t is evil
IDENTIFY closely connected with the health
OF the community. On the other hand.
II 1t be irrcconcllable with moral con.
duct. it Is the duty of the community
to prevent 1t at any cost On the
admission of the most learned theolo-
CLANS, the infllction of pain, and even
Of death, is permissible under certain
circumstances, and the concensus Of
opinion IL that the pain inflicted In vivi-
section is justified by the beneficent re-
suits attained through Its infictlol in
the three fields of research alone-phy e.
iclogy, pathology md therapeutics. One
journal In taking up the cudgels for
viyisection. stntes that one Of the most
remarkable results ever Immediately
obtained from 1t Is the successful treat.
ment of "myxoedema," horrible and
loathsome disease. The symptoms are
n scurfy growth all over the skin, ac-
hair, but the chief feature is q 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 nrc restored to health
md sanity In the course of q few
months. Previously to 1859 the action
of the thyroid gland In the throat was
an unsolved mystery. Patients suffer
Ing frop goitre were In many cases
treated by removing this gland, and in
NIL cases they died. Schiff, of Geneva,
most eminent physiologist. expert
mented with dogs to see whether 1t
was the removal OF the thyroid gland
that caused death, and found that 1t
was. Ilorscy took up Schlff's work,
and discovered that the loss of tho
thyroid gland produced myxocdema In
monkeys. and that they died of It.
He succeeded, however, by grating in
n thyroid gland from sheep In curing
the disease and avcrting death. Act
ing on this suggestion. DR.. Murray In.
jected into n myxoedema patient an
extract of the thyroid gland. The
result was successful, and, eventually,
1t was found that n patient need only
swallow this extract, and the cure of
myxOedema was established. Very ex-
tensive work is being carried on in
viviscction in Great Britain. The total
number Of experiments performed in
1898 was 4.0l6. In l,20l cnse the ami
nal suffered no pain, because complete
anaesthesia was maintained from be-
fore the commencement of the expert.
ment until the animal wns killed. In
2,254 experiments, the pain Of the op-
Grafton (which was practically always
of the nature Of hypodermic injection
or inoculatlom, was trivial. 1t was al
ways made condition Of the certifl-
cate, under which these experiments
were permitted. that 'if severe pain has
been Induced in an animal nfter any
of the experiments has been performed
under the certificate, and If the main
result of the experiment has been at-
tained, 1t Is condition of this license
that the animal be Immediately killed
under annesthetIcs." In sol expert
mcnts, the animals were anaesthettzed
during the operation, but allowed to re
cover. These operation were performed
with MS much care MS are 81 nilar opera
tions upon the human subject, and as
the wounds were dress I'd nntisepticnily,
no pain results during the healing proc
pk.c