Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-06
DEFENSE OF VlVISECnON
Dr. R. T. Morris Writes to Chairman
Mcmillan.
He Claims That Medical Science Has
Been Advanced and Humanity
Benefited by experimentation.

DR.. Robert T. Morris. professor of sur
gerry in the New York Postgraduate Med
ical School. has written to Mr. Mcmillan.
chairman Of the Senate committee the
District Of Columbia, in regard to vivi-
section. DIR. Morris is one of the most emf
nent surgeons Of the country. He is.
he says, lover OF animals. and many of
his former associates at Cornell remember
that his favorite diversion was a long
tramp through the woods with dog at his
heels
This letter called forth by the effort
that is being made To have Congress pass
& nti-vivisection bill for the District of
Columbia. after which there is little doubt
that such legislation would be made the
basis of an effort to duplicate it in state
legislatures DR.. Morris indicates what, he
says, are the advantages that have accrued
L. the human race through the practice of
vivi%ectiOn on animals. lie says:
- | assume further that the com
nIittee will wish to be guided by brief state
ments Of fact rather than by other sorts
Of argument. and to that end | have re-
quested some of the members Of the med
fcal profession to send To you an account of
the advances in medical science that have
been made by them personally through the
aid of animal experimentation Herewith
Is appended a concise account of that part
u my own work which has been recorded
in the literature of the profession.
In Peritonitis and Appendicitis.
L. Perironit.s usually leaves In itss train
ndhesions Of the abdominal organs which
cause lifelong discomfort and invalidism
for The patient. Such adhesions commonly
cause also the death of the patient. Sur
Yenns have sought in many ways to md
relief FOR their patients with peritoneal ad-
hesinns, and with varying degrees of sue
CesS-generally with failure. I experiment.
ed with rabbits and developed plan of
procedure. known as the aristol film meth
Cd. that has been accepted successful
by surgeons in different parts Of the world.
To have experimental in this way upon
human beings would have been heartless
and unsatisfactory. because il was neces-
saFy 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 seemed de-
8irable. The outcome of my experimental
ton has been the direct means for avoid
ing unsatisfactory experimentation upon
thousands of human beings. and 1t has been
the direct means for saving life and pre-
venting suffering on the part of such hu-
man beings.
80 Surgeons frequently have to operate
upon appendicitis patients when infection
has advanced to such a stage that II Is
necessary TO apply a drainage device The
drainage device necessitates leaving a weak
point in the structures Of the abdominal
wall. Hernia develops at such weak points
BY experimenting upon dogs and rabbi.s I
was enabled to devise plan of procedure
which successfully obviates the danger of
hernia My plan Of suturing the caecum
10 the weak point in the abdominal wall in
patients would not have received the sun
port or surgeons, because it was believed