The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-25


experiments of Mr. Arthur Gamgee on
its effects upon the pressure of the
blood in the arteries. BY similar exper-
imentS upon animals nitroglycerine has
been found to act similarly, and both
drugs are now commonly employed to
relieve the pains of Bright's disease,
neuralgia, hySteria, asthma and the
other painful affections. AntiDyrine
and phenacetine were carefully tested
upon animals by Vivisection methods
before they became the common drugs
that they now are. The vivisection
history of anti-toxine, the use of which
has greatly diminished the mortality
Of di9htheria, has too often been told
TO be repeated. The same may be said
of the antiSDtic method of surgical
operations, which, as the direct result
Of Listers vivisections, has revolution
lied surgery
DR.. J. Mount Bleyer of New York
City has had much experience as an
eXperimenter on animals. He was asked
to state specifically some of the good
that has been accomplished by vivisec-
tionists.
Well" he said, '1et me generalize
frs by saying that nearly everything
that has been learned by physiology
from the discovery of the circulation of
the blood to our present knowledge of
consciousness. has resulted from Vivi-
section. 1t was not called by that lame
in the early days perhaps, but the re-
suits We're obtained in the same way.
Going into the subject, specifically, I
might say that Ferier's discoveries con-
corning the localization of the senses
were due to his operations on monkeys;
that all we know of the functions of di-
gestion was learned by Claude Bellard
from his operations on dogs and other
animals; that the legation of arteries
IN surgery, that is, the ability to tie UP
a severed artery so that it will take its
course through adjacent channels re-
sulting in blOodleSS operations, is (.
direct result of vivisection; that ex-
cision operations on the stomach, wnere
all or part of the organ is removed.
We're first performed only after they
were tried successfully on animals;
that intestinal resection operations
were first performed in the same way;
that the rate Of the velocity of the
blood was learned from tests applied
to living animals, as was also cur
knowledge Of the functions of the thy
roid gland, our ability to transplant
tissue, our skill in plastic operations
and our intimate acquaintance with the
functions Of the liver the salivarY
glands, the visual centers, the resDir-
alton, the hearts action, the psychology
zeal activities of the brain, and of all
the important nerves of the body. In
short, as 1 said before, the whole sci
ence OF physiology is grounded on vivi-
section. Yet, in the face of the truths
and results which are apparent to
every one who has any knowledge of
the subject at all, the anti-vivisection-
lists turn up periodically with their alb
surd claims and their sweeping state
ments, and proceed to clog the wheels
OF progress. Many of their number nave
benefited by the facts which have been
deduced by viViSectionistS; that is,
they have been cured of disease by a
course Of treatment which was the re-
suit of what vivisecIionists have learn
ed. This fact, however, is seldom rec
ognized, or, at best, does not influence
them. SO the shrek against legitimate
science goes on as wildly as ever. These
people are in our way, and they should
be pushed aside. The most stringent
measures should be taken against them
for they are interfering with what. IN
the end. is the most humane outcome
OF sclence-the absolute knowledge of
how TO cure and, hence, the knowledge
Of how to cure the diseases of mar
kind"
DOCTORS NOT BLOODTHIRSTY.
DR.. w. Gilman Thompson, who has
lectured on physiology in New York
university, and who is president Of the
practitioners society of New York,
said:
l do not think any danger is likely
TO result from the efforts of the Ma
tional Humane alliance. If the point of
actual legislation is reached, the doc
tors of the country will rise I'D and
most etteetually protest as they have
done when their rights were interfered
with on certain other occasions. After
all, 1t really is of no use getting into
arguments with these people. There is
no common ground to go upon. They
make sweeping statements, which are
highly absurd and unreasonable L have
heard them state that thousands Of
animals are slaughtered annually in
the United States for vivisection pur-
poses. Now, if you reckon up the num-
Der of laboratories in the country, and
think how few eXperimenters there are
consequently, you can get some idea of
the eXasgeration Of such a statement.
Medical students must not be included
IN the number of vivisectionists. AS a
matter Of fact, you cannot get them to
waste valuable time on the subject. and
their attention to it is not demanded
in any curriculum that I have heard of.
OF course, a few necessary object les
sons are given them, but they perform
no experiments themselves.
TT seems to me that the most eff
fective argument you can use against
these people is to note the standing
which doctors have relatively in any
community. 1t is quite as high as that
of lawyers. Country doctors especially
are very often the guardians. not only
Of the physical, but of the moral vel
fare of their patients. They are looked
up to as a kindly class of men. whose
| humanity and good sense are to be
trusted on any occasion. Now. it does
not seem possible that such a class of
men, with such reputation for benev-
! olence, can be the bloodthirsty
wretches the Observation-Disclosures make
them out to be. Outside of the UNIVERSE
ties, vivisection is practiced hardly at
all, and these institutions are not likely
to allow animals to be mutilated un-
| necessarily. For instance, President