Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-26

profession literally lost its head, were long
ago relegated to the tomb of forgotten
things. Just how soon other of the great
tr!umphs of vivisection will share the same
fate time alone can tell"
After stating that all the arguments for
and against the bill submitted at the hear
ing. and 1.-The large amount of material
whlcn the advocates of viviSectio1 were
permitted to add afterward will be printed
as an appendix, the report says:
1t VIII be observed that the bill is re-
str.ctive, not prohibitive, and vet the me-
mortal adopted by the Medical Society of
the District of Columbia starts out With the
misleading statement that AN effort is be-
ing made by certain citizens of this Dis
trlct to secure the passage of bill to pre-
vent experiments upon living animals
What wonder is II that the same memorial
characterizes the. writings of anti-yivisec-
uonists as sensational nonsense and init
mates that the quotations from the writ
lnss OF certain physicians are garbled.'
This Is neither argument nor fair contro-
versy. The lines are clearly drawn be-
tween those who believe in the uErestrict-
ed torture of the brute creation and those
who would, so far as possible, protect the
horse, the dog and the cat from barbara
ties, the mere mention of which makes the
blood curdle in the veins of every man and
woman who Is unwilling to make a sacri-
nee Of human sympathy and human ten
derness on the altar of so-called scientific
investigations"
Restrictive LcgfslatfOn Favored.
The report then refers to the many
prominent men and women who advocate
restrictive legislation, and ad Is that it is
instructive to know that out of 1.239 re-
plies from physicians in New York and
Massachusetts to an inquiry made by the
American Humane Association in 1885
IS were evasive, 243 were in favor OF I'M
limited vivisection. and 96S were in favor
OF restriction. This would seem to eff
fectively DISPOSE" says the -eport "of the
charge SO freely made that those who adj
vocate the proposed legislation are SEN
timentalists and SenSationalists, and that
they are striking blow at medical free
dom and scientific progress The op-
ponents Of the proposed leyi Station broadly
affirm that it is uncalled for and unneces-
sary. They claim that the requirements of
the bill are already complied with, and at
the same time argue that It's enactment
into law would interfere with If not entire
" stop further scientific researches. 1t is
difficult to grasp this reasoning, for if the
bill contemplates only what is in
practice no harm can possibly come from
the law. From the fact" continues the
report, that great and unnecessary cruel
ties are inflicted upon animals in foreign
countries and in some of he states of
the American Union by Massachusetts, it
is reasonable to suppose that tbs District
of Columbia is not entirely free from the
abuse. If, however, as was claimed before
actment of a law on the subject will do
harm. While If the abuse exists legal
restrictions are imparatively demanded,
and the fact can be ascertaiaed absolutely
only by such impartial inspection as would
be made by the inspectors provided by the
bill" The report then gives at much
length number of quotations from medi
cal and scientific reports, describing what
1t terms revolving cruelties' practiced
by viviSectorS in this country and abroad.
These quotations would seem incredible
were they not SO well authenticated. They
are given in great detail. with names and
dates, and make frisatful reading. BE
yond a doubt" says the report, ''viviSection
is grossly abused in the United States. AS
the humane editor of an American medical
journal eXclaimS: History records some
frightful atrocities pecpetrated in the name
of religion. but it has remained for the en-
lightenment and hunaneness of this CEN
fury to stultify themselves by tolerating
the abuses of the average physiological
laboratory, all conducted in the name of
science" The report gives by way of fur
Their comment Col Robert G. Ingersolrs
well-known letter. beginning ''Vivisection
is the inQuisition-the heil-of science. All
the cruelty which the human, or, rather,
the inhuman. heart is capable of inflicting
is in this one word. Below this there is no
depth
Probable Next Demand.
indications multiply" continues the re-
port, that the next demand in the name of
that human vivisection shall be permitted"
He quotes among the suggestions that this
should be done the text of a bill draw WI by
DR.. J. S. Pyle of Canton, Ohio, and intro
duced in the Ohio legislature November 3,
1884. providing that condemned criminals
in Ohio shall be vivisected under anaes-
thetics. "Dr. Pyle" says the report, lis
an ardent advocate Of vivisection, and he
doubtless thinks, as some of the young
physicians of the present day are arguing,
that it's logical and final result will not be
attained until living men, women and chill
dren take the place of the brute creation on
the dissecting tables of the human butchers
who advocate this murderous scheme"
After giving analysis of the commit
tees bill in detail, Senator Gallinger says:
I'm concluding this report, it is proper to
say that while the committee was unani-
nous III recommending it, the writer Of the
report can alone be held responsible for
its phraseology. Already he has been char
acteriZed an enemy to mankind by the
ultra advocates and teachers of vivisection
and he is fully prepared for deluge of de-
Eunciations from that source, which he has
no desire to ask the other members of the
committee TO share"