Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-25

permits TO vivisectors? How does It aid
The discussion Of this question TO say that
many scientists are tender hearted and
humane? Doubtless they are also honest,
Yet there = law prohibiting theft. III they
are suspected Of stealing, their appellatlon
Of scientists VIII not save them from eS-
pionagc and penalties. The holy and uni
versal instinct Of motherhood ought to
render unnecessary any laws TO prevent
them from abusing their children. but
there are such laws. and mother who
Is suspected of violating them is watched,
and If she is detected she is punished.
1T seems TO me that your words imply
the claim of what has been well called
scientific sacerdotalism.' The scientific
man of today asserts that his own judy
ment is 10 furnish the ct hical measure Of
his acts. Rules which bind meaner, COM
moner men are not applicable TO him.
Years ago Kent wrote: The present age
may be characterized as the age Of criu-
CIsm. a criticism to which everything is
obliged to submit Can IL be that today
scientists are arrogating to themselves a
position from which all other classes Of
men have been driven?
80 You next assert that viyiseCtion, as
l have defined 1t, is not practiced in this
District.
You are aware that letters were read be-
fore the Senate committee which asserted
that vlvisection has been practiced here
1t appeared from one OF these letters that
most cruel experiments had been conduct
ed here under a former surgeon general
of the army and in his official laboratory
AT recent commencement OF medical
college in this city one OF its professors
who is also a subordinate of the present
surgeon general is reported to have ex-
horted his students TO experiments lavishly
In the hope of making some discovery
which would bring fame TO them. He told
them to go elsewhere, if this bill should
pass, In order that they might experiment
uncontrolled by any law.
IF vivisection We're not practiced hero
In Objectionable forms there would hardly
be such opposition to this bill.
You assert from positive knowledge that
anaesthetics are habitually employed IN
the biological and pathological laboratories
in this District, when painful experimental
operations are performed upon vertebrate
animals. / assert that the great ma jority
OF men in this District are habitually hon.
est. Very few men are confirmed criminals
But laws must be made for the few men
who are habitually criminals, and also for
the larger number who only sometimes
onend. You cannot assert that the most
cruel vivisectionS are not practiced here, or
at least, were not until public attention
was attracted to the practice You would
be utterly reckless were you to make such
assertion, and it would he valucl.Ss
Il. You complain that shooting and fish
Ing and the slaughter of animals for food
are cruel, and yet are not embraced in
this bill.
Much may be said with respect to the
cruelty to animals law as applicable to
these subjects. But it seems to me that
you do not help your case by referring 10
them. Does any one of you sincerely be-
lieve that man has a right to torture an
animal to death for sport or for food? If
not, then the fact that he does so is not
en- argument in support of your right to
torture an animal to death for alleged
scientific results. We cannot remedy all
evils by one measure. Nor can we he dis
suaded from remedyinR ore 10y the unde-
srable fact that others remain loudly de-
manding a remedy; they are an Indictment
to more determined effort"