The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-08
MIDSHIPMAN AIKEN'S CASE.
An Open Letter on viyisection by the
Dean Of American surgery.


hmbia. which bills, however. IL they had
become laws, would in fact La prohibited
many, II not all Of them, deem 1t my duty
to call your attention to the case q Midship-
man Aiken Of the United States Naval
Academy, who was recently injured in q
football game. My reason for doing so u to
show you by a single concrete example
that knowledge gained by animal expert
mentation Is an immense boon to humanity
and that, therefore. such experiments should
he heartily encouraged.
The facts of Mr.. Aiken's case are as fol-
lows: When first saw him three days
after the accident, found that he had been
unconscious for a half hour after the acci-
dent and ever since then had complained
bitterly OF headache, which he located
always in the forehead Mentally he was
very dull, though not comatose. His pulse
was slowed down to So instead Of being ~.
the normal. Soon after the accident he
began to develop commissions, first in the
right leg, afterWard in the right arm also.
the right arm being, finally, h chief seat
Of the commissions. When they we're very
severe they involved the left side also
The face was never involved. In six hours
and half after first saw him he had twen-
ty-four Of these attacks, all limited to the
right arm. They were not attended by
any loss Of Consciousness. They exhausted
MIN very greatly, especially when they were
'assively severe Several times It was
necessary to give him choroform.
There was no fracture Of the skull. The
only physical evidence Of any injury was a
very slight bruise at the outer end Of the
left eyebrow.
Had seen this case before 1885, should
have been unable TO explain why the spasms
were chiefly manifested in the right arm.
and from the evidence Of the slow pulse. the
headache, the stupor, the bruise in the left
temple, &c., | should have been justified
in inferring that probably the front part
~ his brain was injured at the site Of the
brui-e. Had | opened his skull at that
point. l should have found a perfectly
normal brain and have missed the clot.
| he young man, therefore, would have died
whether his skull had been opened or not.
In 1902, observe the die Terence. As a re-
suit of know ledge derived from expert
nents upon animals. which have located
| precisely the centre for motion OF the right
| arm on the left side Of the brain near The
| top and a little in front Of vertical line
drawn through the ear. and diSregardinR
| entirely the site Of the headache anu OF the
| bruise. reached the conclusion that there
hld been rupture Of a blood vessel within
The head, which had poured out quantity
| OF blood, and that the situation OF the clot
| should correspond TO the arm centre.
| The location Of this arm centre was far
| away (about three inches) from the loca-
| ton OF the bruise, and ! $ position was fixed
| absolutely a. a result Of experiments upon
animals. confirmed later by many opera
| lions on human beings and also by post
| mortems.
| Az soon as the skull was opened at this
| point the clot vas found. it's thickest point
| being exactly over the arm centre and nine
| tablcspOonfuls OF blood was removed, with
he result that the patients life has been
saved. The blood had first been poured
| out over the leg centre hich Is located a
little higher up than that for the arm. This
| explained the early spasrns in the right
leg The clot did not extend, however,
| further down than the arm centre. This
explained why the face never was con-
| vulsed, for the face centre lies just be-
! low that for the arm.
| j think II you were to ask the parents OF
| this young iran how many animals they
| would he willing to have sacrificed in order
| that their son might have his life saved,
| here would be no doubt Of the answer.
. Indeed, had he been your own son. cannot
! doubt the answer. But this il only one OF
| hundreds Of cases in which a similar exact
! localiza,i ion has been made by many sur
Seons both in Europe and America. Yet
ny curious coincidence III the very same
! issue of Baltimore new spaper containing
! 4 reporters accoun, Of the successful opera
| zion on MiiShiplNan Aiken there - letter
! signed by en- active AM ivivisect ionist agi;a-
| tor. which, among other Measurements and
| Misrepresentation usually found in such
| publications. asserts that brain surgery is
| di-r"g lrd"d''
If the laws which you and your friends
! advocate were in force. the conditions for
scientific Investigations III medicine in this
| country would be quite as drplorahle as
! those In England. For example when Lord
! Lister, who has revolutionized modern
surgery. Grg y rs a result Of such expert
| mcnts wished to discover possibly some
| still better way of operating by further
experiments he was obliged to 20 to Tou-
| lou-e to carry them out, a. the vexat ious re-
| Strict!ons of the law in England practically
made II impossible for him 20 continue there
| these prominently humane experiments.
| Again, when Sir 7. Lauder Brunton in
! London started a series Of experiments on
! animals To discover an aEtidote to the
! cobra and other snake poisons OF India,
whore every year 10000 human lives are
sacrificed ty snak" bites. these hne ficent
! researches were stopped by the stringent
British laws to protect animals. Mean
! while half n million Of human beings have
| hop lcsslv pcri>hcd.
Who, ! may ask, il the more humane. he
! who, doubtless with the best and sincerest
! motives Of love for dumb beasts. would
| prohibit experiments upon animals and
| thereby prevent the acquisition OF such
! kuowl"d-c. and 50 compel surgeons to
| stand with folded arms and see innuncrable
! lives thus ncedlcssly sacrificed; ~ no who,
! by prop''lv instituted oNpnrim :, would
! discover such new truths and apply them
! TO the service az humanity?
The anti-riviSe ionsts have frequently
| denied that surgeons have learned any
| thing from such experiments. presume
| that ] may d. considered n comp tent Wit
| ness AZ to the source at least 81 my own
knowledge and | stat. with the greatest
! o itivcncss that without the knowledge
| derived from experiments upon animals
| which have demonstrated the facts Of
| cerebral locali2ation, | should never have
| been able To locate the clot In M. Aikcn's
| head and 10 remove It, nor would have been
| able in the last fifteen years to locate Eumer-
| Gus tum1rs and other brain troubles and
| relieve many Of them What IL true Of
| myself is equally true Of other surgeons.
In view, therefore, u the evident and
! positive benefit Of such experiments, |
! trust that you will lie willing to desist
! from further efforts al such repressivc
and, as ! regard it, most inhumanc and cruel
legislation.
As this matter IL of vital importance to
the wcll-bning of the entire community, !
shall take the lib rty 81 giving this letter
to the press rs soon as you have received II
Yours very respectfully,
W. ". KEEN,
Professor Of Surgery. jefferson Medical
College