Evening journal., 1897-08-18
vIWsEcTIoN IN ENGLAND.
tasw the English statute Works.
Points For and Against.

ROtutH Eor ana 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 un- !
der the act 80 and 40 Wet, c. n. IL re-
lntes 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 !
deRce is afforded, establishing these |
points: (l) That licenses and certif-
Gates have been granted only on the |
accommodation of persons of high scien- |
tifc standing; (2) that the licensees are |
persons who, by their training and edu-
cation, are fitted 10 undertake expert
mental work, and TO profit by It, and (3)
that all experimental work has been
conducted in suitable places. There is
also q 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 a painful nature. From previous re-
ports it has appeared that the only ex-
periments performed without anaes-
thetics are of the nature Of inoculations
or hypoderanic injections. These, says
the medical inspector for the home Of
flee, DR.. G.. V. Poore, are now, in order
TO lessen any chance of misapprehen-
sion, placed in a class by themselves.
According 10 the report, the process of
inoculation is inadequately provided
for in the act of parliament
1T would be cruel rather than other
wise to anaesthetize AN animal before
subjecting it 10 the trivial operation of
n 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 a certificate
l(A) stating that insensibility cannot
DE 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 inoculations."
The large increase of inoculations and
allied experiments which has been no
ticeable for the last few years is, says
Che report, likely to continue. The dis
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 (Table AZ the
total number of experiments was BIC
and in the other liable B) 5,9s4. Near
Nv all the latter were inoculations
(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 licensee
who holds a certificate A dispensing
with anaesthetics) for the incubation
of guinea pigs with tuberculous mat
ter, III his annual return he reported
Hour inoculations (as performed under
A). for which an anaesthetic was adj
ministered. II was necessary TO take
motice.of this, because certificate A is
never allowed except for proceedings
$50 slight as to cause no appreciable
pain This gentleman has explained to
me that anaesthetics were used because
81 was necessary TO insure perfect tran
quility while a minute incision was
made in the skin, but that after the re-
covery from the anaesthetic the ami
mals never afforded any evidence of dis
comfort This being the case, it is pos
sible that the experiment might have
been performed under the license alone,
hut 10 clearly could not be allowed un-
der certificate A, as used in relation to
inoculations. The second case was that
of a gentleman who holds n 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 the
cause of the disease TO the backs Of the
animals by a few bloodless scratches
without anaesthetics. 1t would be
cruel rather than otherwise, TO ad-
minister an anaesthetic for such pro-
ceeding. No experiment under the Ii
cense alone, however. can be performed
without an anacsthetic. and the licensee
held no certificate enabling him 10 dis
pense with anaesthetics 1t might pos
sibly be contended that such pro-
ceeding is not an experiment calcu-
lated TO give pain within the meaning
Of the act. This, however, is a question
which has TO be decided by the licensee
and those who sign his application for
a license."-N. y. Times.
3D. An Abiding Perfume.