The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-01-08
BENEFITS OF VIVISECHION
DR.. Robert I. Morris Letter to
Senator Mcmillan.
Hnny Advantages TO BE Derived
From Ante-Mortem Experimental
toll Finn Method Of Successfully
Treating Pcritonftis Was Developed

The subject Of anti-yiyisection is about
to be considered by the Senate District
Committee, and Chairman Mcmillan has
been the recipient of many letters upon
both sides Of the subject. one of the most
interesting. as well as instructive. docu-
ments yet submitted for the consideration
of the committee is one from DR.. Robert
T. Morris. professor of surgery in the New
York POSTGRADUATE Hospital, one or the
most distinguished surgeons in this coun-
try. discouraging the passage of an anti
vivisection law.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty
TO Animals. on the other hand, is urging
the passage Of such law for the District
of Columbia and the Territories, and hope
in the event of its passage to be able to
get a similar law enacted by the various
State Legislatures.
Dr. Morris. in his communication TO the
committee. declares that while he is a
great lover OF animals he yet believes thai:
advantages OF inestimable value have re-
suited to the human race through the prac-
tice of animal yivisection. Enclosed with
his letter to Senator Mcmillan was a report
in pamphlet form on the advances in med
ical science that have been made by we'll
known members of the medical profession
through the aid OF animal experimentation.
or that part of his own work which has
been published in medical journals DR..
Morris says:
"Peritonitis usually leaves in its train
adhesions of the abdominal organs which
cause lifelong discomfort and invalidism
for the patient. Such adhesions commonly
cause also the death OF the patient. Sur
4ra1
relief for their patients with peritoneal adj
hesions. and with varying degrees CT sue
cess generally with failure. j experiment
ed with rabbits and developed plan of
procedure known as the aristol film
method hat has been accepted as suc-
cessfui by surgeons in different parts OF
the world. To have experimental in this
way upon human beings would have been
heartless and unsatisfactory, because 1t
was necessary to correct several errors
in theory. and this ! was enabled TO do
readily by chloroforming and examining
the rabbits at such steps in the experiment
as seemed desirable. The outcome of my
experimentation has been the direct means
of avoiding unsatisfactory experimentation
upon thousands of human beings, and IL
has been the direct means of saving life
and preventing suffering on the part of
such human beings.
Surgeons frequently have TO operate
upon appendicitis patients when infection
has advanced TO such stage that it is
necessary to apply drainage device. The
drainage device necessitates leaving
weak point in the structures Of the alb
dominal cell. Hernia develops at such
weak points. In experimenting upon dogs
and rabbits j was enabled to devise a plan
of procedure which successfully obyiates
the danger OF hernia. My plan of suturing
the caecum of the weak point in the abb
dominal wall in patients would not have
received the support Of surgeons. because
1t was believed that dangerous angulation
OF the bowel would occur at such sItured
points My experiments with dogs and
rabbits dispreved the idea that angulation
Of bowel would occur provided that the
work was done in a certain way, and this
has allowed surgeons TO give their patients
the benefit of a procedure which obviates
much human misery The method has been
widely adopted.
"A method for the removal of dead bone
by the application of dilute mineral acids
has been advocated from time TO time by
various surgeons, but, for an unknown
reason, the treatment was not very sue
cessful, BY experimenting upon ;he cara
pace Of living turtle found cause for
the failures and added plan OF procedure
OF which surgeons have been glad to avail
themselves in the interest OF their pa
tents. Without such animal experimental
tion the cause of failure would probably
have remained undiscovered
After certain abdominal operations sur
geons have commonly applied abdosinal
supporters that were a source of much dis
comfort for their patients. BY experiment.
ing upon rabbits ! determined that such
supporters could be discarded. The fact |
would have been discovered eventually in
our work upon patients, but my experiment
gave an early decision in the matter, and I
patients who would have suffered discom-
fort are now relieved as a result of facts
brought out by the experiments.
Surgeons discovered that they were aid /
ed in part Of their work in the abdominal
cavity by touching a part OF the bowel |
with salt which excited active movement |
of the muscular coat OF the bowel. This /
indicated the direction OF any given loop OF |
bowel. BY experimenting with rabbits for
the simple purpose Of confirming the wide |
ly published reports upon the desirability
of this step In progress, discovered that
il was accompanied by a grave danger
known as the production of intussuscep-
lion. BY publishing the report upon my
surgeons were enabled TO avoid 1
subjecting their patients TO the grave dam 1
ger. Incidentally my experiment demon |
This had been the subject OF much discus |
sion In the medical profession. but my ex-
pertinent can now be done as an object les l
soD in the presence OF an audience
Surgeons are experimenting upon pa /
tients to discover the best way for curing 4
tuberculosis o: the peritoneum. / ex-
perimented upon rabbits and developed In 1
which Is Of much value In he /
OF the subject.
aba 1
been directly OF benefit in relieving human |
In addition. ] have performed \
many other experiments that gave valuable /
negative testimony"
Or. Morris concludes his letter as fol- I
lows:
LAS lover of animals and as a member |
Of a humane profession ] have taken as /
much care TO avoid suffering upon the part |
Of the animals as ] would be expected TO |
take. My experiments like those Of yiyi- /
sectors of my acquaintsnces, have had for |
their objec; the single purpose OF benefit
ting humanity. My own work demon
strates only trifiing proportion OF the adj
vance that is annually made by surgeons In
various parts Of the world through animal
experimentation. Unfortunately, the men
who are doing advance work In tine inter
ests OF science and humanity usually have
such contempt for the methods of the unin-
formed -vivisectionists that they will
not even deign TO make statement of their
side of the case. and legislative commit
tees are apt 10 be influenced by the emo
tional, well-meanng people VINO make
strenuous effort TO convince committees
along the lines in which they themselves
have been misinformed. The fact that
there are physicians among the anti-vlyi-
sectionists is evidence simply Of the fact
that such physicians have been too much
Interested In other matters to give atten-
ton to the proper requirement Of knowl-
sdge upon this subject"