Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-05
HEALTH OFFICERS VIEWS
Reply to Criticisms Made by the Washing
ton Humane Society
The Report Recommending Adverse
Action. on Vivisection Bill
Under Discussion,

DR.. VIM. c. Woodward, the District health
officer, who recently recommended in a re-
pert to the Commissioners adverse actor
| on the proposed anti-vivisection bill, has
/! submitted to the Commissioners a reply te
| the criticisms which Mr.. A. S. Pratt, presi
dent of the Washington Humane Society
| made against his report. In this reply DR.
f, Woodward says:
| THE Washington Humane Society pro.
| fesses to find in the suggestion of the
| health officer that the authority conferred
| by this bill to require reports of work may
| be utilized so as to make experimenters
bear witness against themselves, an admis-
| sion that wrong is being, or is likely lo
| be, done in connection with experimental
ton. 1t hardly appears necessary to point
| out that the bill creates new offenses, and
| that it provides no penalty for inflicting
| cruelty upon animals, but only penalties
| for the performance of experiments con-
trary to certain arbitrary rules, which have
| no basis either in morality or justice. The
statement that no moral or statutory
wrong IS being done at the present time
mas no bearing, therefore, upon what may
be the case with reference to statutory
misdemeanors if this bill is enacted.
Not Always Conclusive of Guilt.
1T is remarkable, too, that the Washing
ton Humane Society should assume that
evidence against a person is always con-
elusive of guilt. If such were the case
there would never be a criminal prosecu-
ton in which there would not be a con-
victon, nor civil suit in which the YER
act would not be awarded to the plaintiff
The opponents of the bill were criti-
cised in the report of the Senate commit
tee because they objected to the provision
Tor the appointment of free inspectors.
An illustration was quoted in the report
IT was not fair one. The position held
by the cashier of a bank Is in no way COM
parable to the position of the ordinary sci
enlist The former deals with the property
OF other persons, and exercises a semi
public function. The latter deals with his
own property and attends strictly to his
own business. 1t is sought to explain the
failure of the Washington Humane Society
TO bring to light during a quarter of a
century any cruelty in connection with ex-
periments on animals by this statement
I'm the nature of the case 1t is difficult
II not 1mpracticable, to procure evidence
now of atrocities committed by vivisectors
in the District of Columbia. 1t usually is
dlfhcult and impracticable to find evidence
OF things which do not exist.
Appeal to Senate Committee.
I'm support of the assertion that need
less cruelty, If it result from experimental
ton, cannot be prevented under, existing
law, the Washington Humane Society
Il
Ross Perry to the Senate committee. I'm
less some reason be made apparent for be-
leving that Mr.. Perry departed in this in
stance from his usually uniform accuracy
of diction. the statement quoted cannot
be construed to be anything more than an
avowal of nescence. 1t is certainly not a
denial of the existence of such a law either
here or elsewhere. There Is an apparent
effort, too, to exaggerate the force of this
statement by emphasizing the legal attain
ments of the gentleman who made it. but
Mr.. Perry himself stated to the Senate COM
mittee, to which his appeal was addressed,
that he did not speak in his professional
capacity.
As to Petition of Lawyers.
TT is attempted further to support the
contention to the insufficiency of exist
ing laws by stating that certain prominent
citizens. of more or less eminence in the
legal profession, have petftioned for the
enactment of the bill now under considera-
ton. l have carefully examined the report
of the Senate committee which contains
the names of the citizens referred to, to
learn If possible the date and form of this
alleged petition, but while it is exceedingly
full in most particulars for some in
scrutable reason the details of the petition
do not appear 1t is respectfully submitted
however, that such petition can have no
weight unless its signers were acquainted
with existing law relative to experimental
ton on animals, with existing conditions
not remediable by such law, and with the
details of the proposed legislation and no.
where does it appear from the record that
such was the case. The refusal of signers
to withdraw their signatures at the re-
quest of the opponents of the bill cannot
properly be construed to indicate their
strength of conviction any more If as
much, as II can be accepted as an indica-
ton of their pride of opinion.
Supposed Analogy.
IA further effort is made to show the
need for legislation by pointing out a sup
posed analogy between experimentation and
the operation of docking horses tails. In
fact, however no such analogy exists. The
law for the prevention of cruelty to ami
mails, enacted August %, 1871, and now in
force, contains specific provisions as to how
and under what conditions experiments may
be performed. 1t contains none relative to
surgical operations for commercial or
aesthetic purposes. Even. therefore, though
1t may have been necessary to legislate spe-
cially to prevent docking, 1t does not follow
that special legislation IS necessary to pre-
Vent needless cruelty to animals in con-
nection with experimentation.
The Washington Humane Society closes
its Communication with kind offer to give
respectful consideration to any constructive
amendments which the Commissioners NAV
suggest. Disregarding, however the fact
that this bill does not appear to be before
that organization for consideration al the
present time, l would respectfully suggest
that it is desirable to demonstrate the ey-
1stence, extent and character of the condi-
tons which it is proposed to correct by this
legislation, and the insufficiency of existing,
law, before the pending measure can be M
teihgentiy considered with reference to
amendment"