The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-12-18
H0RRORSOF YIVISECTION
Senator Ga'.iEglr Tells of Cruelties
Practicsd by ENperimenters.
nc ANSWER TO DR.. W. S. KEEN

Hic ANSWER TO DR.. w. S. KEEN
New Hampshire Statesman Doubts
That Viviseetion SaYed Midshipman
Aiken's Life-would Regulate the
Practice.
Washington. Dec. Ex-senator Cal
lnger. of New Hampshire, gave out
the following letter in reply to the
published letter of DIR. w. S. Keen. Of
Philadelphia, sent him a week ago:
Dear Sir: Reviewing your letter OF
December 8. 1902. which you gave to
the press Of the United States. respect
ing your success in the case of Mid
shipman Aiken. note four points:
First. that self-advertisement is pro-
hibited by the ethics OF our profession.
Second. that Misrepresentation is for
, hidden by the ethics of mankind. No
measure that would prohibit vivisec-
ton or prevent any of the experiments
which you claim were necessary to
give you the requisite knowledge in the
Aiken case has ever been introduced
by me in the senate; nor has any such
legislation been recommended by me to
the senate. Your statement that l
have been engaged in efforts to Sc
cure 'inhumane and cruel legislation
is without the slightest warrant in
fact l have been engaged in efforts to
secure humane legislation, that would
prevent cruelty.
Ihird. that your argument turns
entirely on an assumption which can
not be maintained, namely that the To-
calization of the functions in the brain
OF man has been determined by ex-
Fermentation on animals. The brains
OF animals differ from the brain of
man and also differ from one another.
so that stimulation of a certain part
OF the brain will produce a certain eff
feet in one animal and another effect
in another animal
Fourth, that you ignore. in your di-
rect appeal to selhshness, that altruism
which is the principle of moral pro
gross. To practice cruelty, even in the
hope OF helping humanity. is to hurt il
and TO delay the advance of civiuza-
ton.
Il have never introduced into the
senate or advocated any bill that would
prohibit vivisection. / beg to say that
the purpose has been to regulate the
practice. thereby removing from it the
inhumane and cruel features which
have shocked the moral sense OF our
people.
Your statement that I am engaged
in efforts to secure inhumane and cruel
legislation should be withdrawn. and
especially so when we have undoubted
testimony that one experimenter is in
the habit OF plunging dogs for thirty
seconds into boiling water; that an
other fastens a dog TO the dissecting
table. and. discarding the use of anes-
thetics. stands above il with a large
empty stone bottle with which he
strikes with all his strength n dozen
violent blows on the head. while the
same experimenter says that he dislo-
Gates both the shoulders, doing it with
difficulty. Another eXperimenter
claims that he has 'consecrated' more
than so large animals. mostly horses
and mules. to the EXTREMIST torture
possible. not, as he expressly tells us
TO solve any problem in medical the
ory. but to see what degree of pain can
be inflicted through dislocation of the
of the spinal column. Another tells us
OF animals tortured, crushed and LAGER
ated hour by hour, until crucified ma
ture could no longer endure. and death
comes to tardy relief. That expert
menter says: 1 can take an ear. a paw
or bit of skin of the animal. and by
turning the handle squeeze il beneath
the teeth of the pincers: / can lift the
animal by The suffering part: can tear
it or crush it in all sorts of ways. and
he adds that these experiments are re-
peated day after day, with much de-
light and extreme patience, during the
space of year If, sir, to prevent
such barbarous practices brings me un-
der your condemnation, l am willing
to have the case submitted to the
judgment of the American people.
Are you sure, sir, that you saved
the life of Midshipman Aiken? Are
not blood clots frequently absorbed by
the processes of nature, and is it not a
fact that in many such experiments
death has resulted because Of the oper-
alton? Your claim that you located the
blood clot because of experiments upon
animals may or may not be true, as
we have the highest possible authority
for believing that such experiments are
oftentimes misleading and absolutely
without value"