The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-04-07
A PROBLEM IN vIvIsECTIoN.
The Question Of Cruelty TO Dogs and
Cruelty to Men.

The Question Of Cruelty to Dogs aud
Cruelty TO Men.
Prof. Keen. OF Jefferson Medical college
Philadelphia. has recently had somewhat
remarkable experience. the details Of
which appear in the Record OF that city.
IL seems that among the professors pa
tents Is man, one of whose legs is para
lyZed, owing TO the severing OF the main
nerve trunk OF the limb In an accident
that took place during the early part OF
the winter. Believing that by the use OF
nerve from the leg of an animal he could
restore to his patient the use OF his leg
Prof Keen sent 10 the city pound for a
dog with which 70 make the experiment.
He there learned that the pound is con-
trolied by the woman's branch OF the So
clety Tor the Prevention Of Cruelty 10 An
irnais, or which Airs. Caroline Earle White
Is president
the professor wrote to Mrs. White, ex-
planning the situation fully, and request
ing that he be given the dog he needed
Mrs White positively refused TO comply
with his request Because of this refusal
IN operation had TO be postponed for a
week Ii was then performed. but after
the tissue over the dividing nerve had
been opened il was discovered that tbs
condition OF the nerve rendered the opera
ton impracticeble.
The correspondence that passed between
Prof. Keen and Mrs. White is not without
interest, either to the advocates OF vivi-
section or TO its opponents. In reply TO
the doctors first request Mrs. White
wrote:
''I am sorry TO put you to any incon-
venience, but before / can give you the
order TO have one OF the dogs from our
pound ] must know what you want TO do
with him. If you intend 10 kill him at
once as humanely and quickly as possi-
bic. and then take one of the nerves for
the purpose YOU mention / have no objec-
ton: otherwise. l cannot let you have a
dog. You or the surgeon must assure me
on his word of honor that the animal viii
be killed at once and in humane man
ner'
Then DR.. Keen wrote explaining exactly
what he proposed to do. The dog. he said.
was not TO be killed at once. but he would
be subjected 20 exactly the same pain and
TO no more than the injured man. Mrs.
| White then wrote:
I'm answer 10 your note I will say that,
although / should always approve of sac
rificing dogs life in order to save that
OF a man, unless the latter was a curse
20 the world and the former boon and
blessing (Which is sometimes the easel,
think that am justified in refusing TO
give you one OF the dogs at our pound fer
an experiment. which may prove of BEN
eft to one of your patients, or may not,
the latter being the most likely Alterna-
tive"
BY this time DR.. Keen had become
somewhat moved over the matter. The
emotions he felt found expression in the
following letter, which closed the CORE
spondence:
aside from myself there are three par
ties who are TO be considered In this mat
ter. First. the dog3 second. the man. and
third. mankind.
First, the dog. I stated to you that
the dog would not suffer; that he would
be treated with the same care as the
man. and that after the operation I
should continue the anesthetic until the
dog was dead. Yet you refuse me the
dog because. forsooth. somebody else may
be cruel TO some other dog.
Secondly, the man. This man knows
what / am going to do and is anxious TO
have ii done. His leg is paralyzed II by
an ordinary surgical procedure can re-
establish the continuity OF the nerve I
may be able to cure his paralysis In
that case I should not have recourse TO
the dog. II, on the contrary. the gap be-
tween the two ends OF the nerve is so
great that 1 cannot bring them together,
either the man must be condemned TO
paralysis for life or some other means
must be tried TO re-establish the nerve
and so restore TO him a useful leg. This
might be done by the process OF nerve
grating. Yet you refuse me dog on
the ground that II is an experiment
Granting that IL is. It Is. at the most. a
perfectly harmless experiment, for IL
would not be more painful than any or
binary operation, and even II IT abso-
iutely fails It leaves the patient not a
whit the worse of. If IL succeeds, II viii
be the greatest possible service to him.
Third mankind. The only way IN
which surgery can make any progress is
by testing new methods OF treatment
which have at least a reasonable possi-
bility OF success. just such persistent
and continued trials have encircled the
globe with ocean cables. But you assume
the role OF Judge who decides that such
a new method OF treatment shall not be
tested. You, who. I presume, would ad-
NIT that you know nothing Of surgery,
put your judgment against that OF enc
who has spent thirty-hve years In the
earnest study. active practice and con-
tinuous teaching OF surgery. You viii
excuse me II I think you are not COM
petent judge
'Is YOU had your way there would be
no Pasteur Institutes I'm any part Of the
world 10 save so many lives from HYDRO
phohia: there would he no anti-toxine
treatment OF diphtheria. which already
has borne such wonderful results: there
would be no incubation against cholera,
which I'm the hands OF Hankine bids fair
20 rescue thousands OF lives: there would
be no cerebral surgery. since you would
not allow us to investigate the functions
OF the brain: there would he little or no
antiseptic surgery. the greatest stride
forward OF this century.
IN your misguided zeal for dogs you
are guilty. in my opinion, Of cruelty 10
this man. and cruelty TO all mankind. be-
cause you thwart scientific progress nm
der the elIise OF love for animals. You
would condemn to the torture and disa-
bfities OF accident and disease people who
have happily been rescued by the more
humane scientists in my profession.
you will pardon me II write earnest
" II Is because I feel deeply the injury
you are trying 80 inflict upon the human
race. Happily. the common sense OF the
community does not allow you 20 have
your way. as they prefer the devotion Ct
ny own profession TO the welfare OF man
kind 20 your devotion 10 dogs VI prefer
ence TO men"
New Books Public Library.