The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1897-08-06
WvIsEcTloN IN ENGLAND.
How the English Statute works
Points For and Against.

How the English statute works
Points For and Against.
A return was lately issued on show
ing the number of experiments per-
formed on living animals during the
year 1896, under licenses granted I'M
der the act 80 and 40 Wet, C. II. 1t re-
lates to England and Scotland. The
number of persons who held licenses
was 236, of whom 20 made no expert
ments. The names of all licensed places
are given in a table, and tabular evil
dence is afforded, establishing these
points: (D That licenses and certif-
Gates have been granted only on the
accommodation of persons of high scien-
tific standing; (2) that the licensees are
persons who, by their training and edu-
cation, are fitted to undertake expert
mental work, and to profit by it, and (a)
that all experimental work has been
conducted in suitable places. There is
also table showing the number and
nature of the experiments performed,
and specifying whether these were done
under license alone or under any spe-
cial certificate, SO that the public may
| judge which experiments, if any, were
of painful nature. From previous re-
ports it has appeared that the only ex-
periments performed without anaes-
thetics are of the nature of NEGOTIATIONS
or hypodermic injections. These, says
the medical Inspector for the home Of
flee, DIR. G. V. Poore, are now, in order
to lessen any chance of misapprehen-
sion, placed in a class by themselves.
According to the report, the process of
incubation is inadequately provided
for in the act of parliament.
at would be cruel rather than other
wise to anaesthetize an animal before
subiecting it to the trivial operation of
a prick with needle, and yet the word
ing of the act is such that the admins
tration of anaethetics can in no case be
dispensed with except by certificate
(A) stating that 'insensibility cannot
be produced without necessarily frus-
trating the objects of such expert
ments. Notwithstanding that the
wording of certificate A is not wholly
applicable to the circumstances, it is
nevertheless allowed for NEGOTIATIONS"
The large increase of NEGOTIATIONS and
allied experiments which has been no
ticeable for the last few years is, says
the report, likely to continue. The dis
covery of antitoxins has necessitated a
large number of incubation expert
ments, as these remedies cannot safe
ly and effectually be used upon human
beings without being previously tested
on rodents. In one class liable Az the
total number of experiments was 1916,
and in the other liable b 1884. Near
ly all the latter were NEGOTIATIONS
(made, under anaesthetics, upon ro-
dents), with the object of diagnosing
rabies. The licensees have been loyal to
the spirit of the act, and there were
only two cases in which the letter of the
law was quoted as showing the Difficult
ties of interpreting the act in relation
, to inoculatiOn:
"The first case was that of a licensee
who holds a certificate A dispensing
with anaesthetics) for the inoculatior
of guinea pigs with tuberculous mat
ter. In his annual return he reported
four NEGOTIATIONS (as performed under
Al, for which an anaesthetic was ad
ministered. 1t was necessary to take
notice of this, because certificate i!
never allowed except for proceeding
so slight as to cause no appreclablt
pain. This gentleman has explained tt
me that anaesthetics were used because
it was necessary to insure perfect tran
guilty while a minute incision wa:
! made in the skin, but that after the re
| covery from the anaesthetic the ami
mails never afforded any evidence of dis
> comfort. This being the case, it is pos
l sible that the experiment might have
been performed under the license alone
but it clearly could not be allowed I'm
!, der certificate A, as used in relation II
NEGOTIATIONS. The second case was tina
of gentleman who holds license only
and who returned four experiments
> which consisted in the attempt (Which
, failed) to give ringworm to four mice
; by applying the fungus which is tn
cause of the disease to the backs of thu
animals by a few bloodless scratche!
without anaesthetics. 1t would b.
cruel, rather than otherwise, to ad
q minister an anaesthetic for such pro
. ceeding. No experiment under the Ii
cense alone. however can be performet
without an anaesthetic, and the license
held no certificate enabling him to dis
:. pense with anaesthetics. 1t might pos
. sibly be contended that such a pro
ceeding is not AN experiment calcu
!. lated to give pain within the meaning
: of the act. This, however, is question
. which has to be decided by the license
, and those who sign his application TO
:, a license."-N. Y. Times.
@ An Abiding Perfume.
E Nearly six years ago farme
f who was bringing five or six carboy
f of essence of peppermint in town had