The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-22
DEFENCE OF YIVISECTION.
DR.. W. ". KEEN REPLIES TO SENA.
TOR GALLINGER.
Coasiders the Proposed Legislation Against
Experiments on Animals Cnwise
-(harges Of Cruelty Not Well Based
Points Gut viSisection's Good Results.

| non. Jacob N, GoMa0eT. thormuh o' me
Senate Committee on the District Of CoIum-
| bia. Washington. u. c.
DEAR SIR: ! observe in the newspapers
| Of Dec. Is a letter from you, dated Dec. IL
| and addressed to me. Although l have
never received from YOU copy Of this letter.
/ feel that It is proper for me TO make brief
| reply
| Your suggestion of self-advertisement
| hardly needs notice. ! think after forty
years of an active professional life as teacher.
| author. and practitioner of surgery. l saall
| readily be acquitted of having had such
motive
! had but ono object in my letter. II has
| been denied again and again 10y anti-vivi-
| sectionists that any good results follow from
experiments upon animals The case OF
| Midshipman Aiken is only one of hundreds
OF similar cases operated on by many sur
eeons the world over: but. as II was a striking
| illustration OF such benefit to man. and as II
| had already attract Ell attention all over the
country. I deemed it proper to use II as
| convincing proof OF the usefulness and hu-
mnnity of vvisection. That my letter has
had the effect hoped is shown by peril
nent editorial comment upon it, that one
such brave young life saved through the
results of viviscction will count against tons
| OF roo Dhilist literature With the excsp-
| ton of. perhaps, half a dozen experiments
| which | did in 1864, | have never myself per-
| formed any experiments upon animals but
| scarcely day OF my lie passes without
| my using the results OF such experiments
| to the immense benefit of my patients. as
! siown in this case.
| Although YOU took a medical degree many
| years ago. think I am correct in believing
| that Tor long time you have not prac'ised
| your profession. Your arduous ana useiui
| lie IN the Senate has necessarily prevented
you from keeping up Win the progress OF
| surgery. IL is difficult for me, devoting all
| my Time TO It, TO keep abreast OF TINS proyress
| ana must he impossible Tor you 10 90 40
| do not wonder, therefore, that YOU do not
| know accurately either the facts or the sources
| OF the wonderful progress which surgery
has made, especially IN the last twenty-five
years. You certainly would not have asked
the question whether clot OF blood measur.
| ing nine tablcspoonfuls would be ABSORBED
| from the brain II you were cognizant OF mod
| ern pathology and modern surgery Nor
| would you assert that the brains OF animals
| and the brain OF man diher 20 much that the
| iocaiization OF the functions OF the human
brain has not been determined by expert
| mentation upon animals II YOU Will look
| at the epoch making article OF Horsley In the
| American Journal Of the Medical Sciences Tor
Aprh, 1887, pag' 3&2, you Will $50 tho Iacts
| set forth in reference to cerebral localza-
| ton as determined upon animals. l do not
| hesitate to assert that, with minor differences
| these facts. derived from experiments upon
| animals. are applied sur gically to the brain oil
| man with the greatest eNactness. In COM
| mon with many other surgeons, have done
| so scores and scores OF times. and. so FAR as
remember, without being misled on single
occasion. Indeed. for twelve years past
| dra wing OF the brain Of a monkey has been
used in the American Text Book OF surgery
| to show the location OF the centres In the
| human brain
You have quoted Prof. Terrier 70 snow the
discrepancies in differences from experiments
| upon the BRAN OF various animals. III you
will look at the preface to the first edition OF
his Functions OF the Bran. page IL. you
will read: Notwithstanding these diffcul-
| ties and discrepancies, many Of winch VIII
De found on careful examination 70 oe
more apparent than real. experiments Oh AM,
mails. under conditions selected ana varied
at the VIII OF the eSperimehter, are alone
capable OF furnishing precise data TOT sohho
inductions as to tho functions or the Dram
| and its various parts: the experiments per-
formed Tor us by nature IN the FORM OF as
eased conditions. Oeins rareiy hhiteo' OF
Tree from Shch conpica''ohs"sreh oei "na!
SIS ana the discovery OF cause ana cnec'
extremely dinicuit ana IN many cases prae-
cally imposs'oi''
| were Is not Tor snch WORK as that zone ny
Horsiey anu r'rrmr' ana o'h'rs VINO pre-
coded them. as well as Tor many subsequent
researches we shouId now DE- IN almost ab-
soiutc ignorance OF the LOCATION OF most OIL
the centres OF the oraih occasional post
mortem examinations nave thrown some
hsht upon the SUBJECT, out 10 WORK out
scheme such as - presented IN horsiey s
paper could not nave been done oy post
| norton records Moreover. the complete an
swer To your criticism IL that. as matter OF
| fact II never was done until experiment
| upon animals made It possible. We're II not