The morning times., 1896-01-31
CRUELTY NOT NECESSARY
Wv seGliOnIsts and Their Op-
porents Agree on That Point.
ARGUMENTS FRO AND CON
Proposed Biii TO Limit the Practice
of Experiments on Animals Dis
Rn-, pcrry'S strong Statements
.yEat Nivi-cctiun Has Done.

! There VA, i hearing given yesterday
| afternoon by the District Commissioners to
thu advocates and opponents "f the measure
now before Congress, Gnown rs the anti
| yiviseciion bill" which provides ccEian
restrictions upon that hIanch of scientific
| research ana tp whicli the medical pro-
! f'-ssioa are in the thaIn opposed.
| Tho l,usrd room at tire District building
| was pretty welf filled with Interested
spectators, both or the conflicting cle-
rnents being ably represented, and the dis
l,.s-ion began at 2 o'clock III.
I Mr.. CrauiHpnd knunedy. representing the
Humane Society, f%sr the nrs, 10 address
the board. AfteF reading the bill hr.
/ Kennedy said il yyas an act for the pre-
/ ventIOn Of cruelty Ouiy. An act such as
| the Dill fOrbids l. not cruel except when
/ wantonly -peFsermfd. with no iaudabIc pur-
post in view. --.a
/ The act starts ,ouiIby saying that pain
| shall not De -R@es.lessiy. inflicted, and that
vf-iSection shall " performed 10y experts
/ only, who shall taes iiefnsed 10 d" SO, II
I places regis tere,t,asslti prevents expert
! ments in pFcscnee%f s,lIooI cbildren, and
! Jli,-rc : Do similar law except In Massa-
/ chtsetts. MIR Kennedy read a report made
ia 1876, showing tse illTffccts of need
! less exhibitions by sO-called experiments.
MR. PERRY's. ARGUMENT
| Attorney K. Ross Perry followed, in
! advocacy of the measure. Mr.. Perry said
| that If be had entertained any doubt be-
| fore entering the room of the extent to
| which viyiscCliou had gone, such doubt
would have been dispeiled in this presence.
! MIR. Perry evidently had III his minds eye
| the large array OF medical men who had
| been attracted to the bearing, and added
| that there was nothing more potent rs an
argument In favor of the measure than the
scene before him.
so far rs am advised said Mr.. Perry.
I iInpressiyely, this Is the first bill ever
introduced In Congress 10 prevent or re-
strain the tcriurcs OF animals, and il is
not at all TO the credit OF this govern
nent that it il so.
In England" the speaker added, "the
evil of viviscction became great that
Catholic and Protestant finally united in
an appeal for restrictiO ion OF the right TO
try the terrible experiments. Even doctors
/ responded, and tue report upon the subject
was signed. amcng others, by no less an
eminent man than DIR. Huxley
The law was passed in England twenty
1 five years ago. and II is still 4 law.
repeat. IL Is not to the credit OF this
Z government that there has not been Con-
/ gressionai legislation upon this subject.
There Is nos a law in mis- country IL prevent
a man from committing unEamabie cruel
ties. If he says he does it in the name Of
| science"
| Mr.. Perry protested that he did not APPEAR
| as an attorney. but he never felt nore
interest in the cause OF a client than he
| had IN this subject.
| Concluding. Mr.. Perry said IL were better
| to expose a child to yellow fever or small
pox than 10 do these damnable things in
! its presence, and said:
"As 1 feel now 1 cannot put this palm
I OF mine in the hand OF a vivisector.''
DIR. BUsEY IN REBUTTAL.
President Busey, of the District Medical
Society, lead the opposition in an address
that lasted about forty-five minutes, and
| in the course OF bis remarks and IN the
remarks of others who followed On that
side. it became sipparent that there was
| not a great deal 0f difference between the
partisans.
So manifest was this that Commissioner
/ TruesdeT once suggested that the repre-
! sentatives of both sides ought to harmonic
the small divergence; Of view by combining
| on a bill that would suit both. This, he
said, the Commissioners might readily in.
| dorse. n jJ- .r
1 DR.. Bpsey wasjoppesed to the measure,
however, and defended vivisection as
having been the means OF saving millions
of lives. He objected to the feature OF
the bill providing FOR the use of anesthetics
| in all cases. and for the appointment of in
spectors, also to the iFigid supervision pro-
posed. 1t meant, he said, total abolition
of the vivisection methods, and to this
he could not consent Many persons who
advocate the measure, he added, do moi
know what viyisection means.
Preventive medicines are due, he said,
solely to the results Of experimental vivi
section. and the profession should not be
denied the right TO prosecute scientific re-
| search. He was not an advocate of cruelty.
on the contrary, he condemned it, and he
| then laid down, among other provisions
| the following:
Animal experimentation determines the
functions that compose animal economy, and
determines the causes of perversion OF
functions by demonstrating the symptoms
| that denote disease.
1t demonstrates the nature of morbid
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