The Washington times., 1901-12-08
VIVISECTI0N FOR
THE DEATH PENALTY
KNIFE MAY SUPPLANT GALL0WS.
Physicfan. Say That Criminals
should Re Made of Some Use TO
the Public-Wouid Greatly
Advance Cause OF Science.

vivisection instead OF the gallows or
electric chair may be the fate of the
criminals who may be condemned TO
death in the near future If surgeons of
Chicago have their way respecting the
dispositicl of men and women sentenced
by the law to die.
Scores OF doctors in Chicago favor the
vivisection of men who have incurred the
death penalty through crime. The sur
geons say that in this way the men who
have been damage to society and
menace to human life may be made to
be of some good to posterity by submit
ting their bodies TO the surgeons knife.
the specialists incubation, and the psy-
biologists experiment 1t is thought
that the practice might tend also TO les
sen crime.
1t is said that II the -Vivisection
Society can be kept from interfering a
law providing for a national hospital un-
der the control OF the Government OF the
United States and its health department
will be introduced in Congress during the
coming session with the hope that science
may have the benefit OF studying man In
ali his parts while he lives and can relate
his sensations.
Scheme Not Unheard of.
This is not an unheard-of thing. In
the sixteenth century human viVisection
was practiced in Italy on condemned
criminals. and 1t is but few years ago
that a man condemned to be shot in the
Hawaiian Islands was inoculated with the
virus Of leprosy TO demonstrate that the
disease was infectious. This man died
of the loathscme disease instead of from
a bullet. and he aided science by showing
that leprosy was indeed infectious.
Outside of these instances. however, hu-
man viyisection has never been practlced
in medical science Many persons In the
United States are even opposed 70 the Wv
isectton of dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs ana
rats 1t was but last winter that the doc
tors had to rush down to Washington TO
prevent Congress from passing an anti
viyisection law in answer to the pleas OF
the AntI-Vivisec;ion Society.
"Viyisection OF men condemned TO
death is Just right" said DIR. Charles G.
Roehr. of Harvey Medical College. What
is the benefit Of dragging a man to the
gallows OF TO the electric chair in this
day and age? When once man is execut-
ed by law he is of no use to anyone. He
has lived a worthless life. He has taken
the life Of another or he has betrayed
the country that gave him protection.
PubIic But Poorly Paid.
when he gives up his life he pays the
public does not get as great pay from him
as It might II he were TO be cut up while
alive and allow students of criminology
and insanity and other disorders to study
him then when he died he would have
been of some use.
'In time We might be able to eliminate
crime and insanity and other diseases
which we do not understand. Then we
would have used the murderer and the
traitor to a laudable end. / am heartily
IN favor OF yivisecting these men and so
are all the surgeons ] know"
There is nothing SO horrible In human
vivisection II one but looks at It Alright,
said Dr. Charles J. Whalen OF Rush Medi-
cal College when asked about the new
movement Il have openly advocated the
scheme for several years Even If we
are not allowed to vivisect those who are
condemned TO die. We should at least be
allowed to use them TO experiment with
as to the incubation of certain diseases
''For instance. We might take ouch a
man and inoculate him with cattle tuber-
cul0sis and thus ascertain beyond any
doubt wheih we are in danger OF being
infected by this disease when we drink
the milk Of tuberculous COWS The man
need not suffer pain il he is simply inocu-
lated. when the disease with which these
men have been impregnated shows itself
and the victims begin TO suffer then they
could be led TO the gallows as well as at
hrst.
Only the entity TO suffer.
at is time that we had some returns
from the outcasts OF society. II would
have to be fixed SO that no one con-
demned under circumstantial evidence
could be thus used. Only those caught
! red handed or those who confessed to
murder would be taken to the vivisection
hospital The desire for human vivisec-
tion is quite universal among members
OF the medical and surgical professions. '
DR.. d. r. Brewer. who has made con-
, siderable study OF viyisection, said
II am In favor Of anything that will ad-
vance the knowledge Of scientists. Vivi-
section OF condemned criminals Is deslr.
able, but ] fear that II is impracticablt
at present. ] am afraid we will stir vi
the observation-disclosures. II is true that
il would be n grand thing for science il
We were permitted 10 study the organs
Of living men and 1t would no doubt make
men hesitate more before they took life
Has Little Fear of Prison.
Now n man thinks he can escape with
few years imprisonment il he murders
a person. At worst he figures that he
will be put In prison for life or be at once
executed on the Rallows or In the cleo
trio chair. But n he once knew that he
would be placed on a table and have his
heart, brain, and other internal organs
laid bare TO the surgeons eye while he
still lived the very idea OF the thing might
make him hesitate.
mot that he would suffer as he imag.
ined, for yivisection would not be pair
full. but the idea of being cut up alive
would lend terror TO the towards whc
murder their fellow-mortals'
II : .. "rrphy fears that the idea
would appear 90 inhuman for the ordi
nary man.-chi eago Chronicle.