New-York tribune., 1902-12-22

Dr. W. ". Keen Mah'es RGOinder
TO the Recent Letter Of Senator
GnlLHgPr.
GaMngeI

FUttHSb-
w Keen. of Philadelphia has written the
following letter Senator Jacob h GaliIheei' "a
Neuv-Hampshire returning to the famous surgeon :
cbsronionsbip of the cause of rational vVisection
Near Sir. ] observe in the newspapers OF De- De-
eTober i5 letter you dated December Is 5 aiI5
saGTesSe1 Se1 CODY Of this letter feel that it is
proper 70 make al brief reply hardly
needs notice j think after forty years i oi ond n
1rsrtitioner of surgery / shall readily be acqulttei
Of having had such a motive. ,.. T has been
denied again and again by anti-vivsectionsts o Ins1
snirnsis The case of Nidshipman Aiken is oii3y hy
one OF hundreds Of similar cases no Upe ae it was =
striking illustration of such benent 10 On 1ar the
as n Raq deemed it proper TO use convincing
proof of the usefulness and humanity % hnned
Sc shown by a pertinent editorial comment upon IL II;
that such brave young ne Saa01 ainst ions of
1eonhiIist literature with the execution of per- per-
/ have never myself performed any exReIimen,S per- ms ms
upon animals bat scarcely day ch oi my yeInerments
to the immense benefit of my patients as SHOWN ''
Although you took medical degree many % years yea
ago think am correct IN oeev5E TdTE nr9fessori
Yo31r ard1ous and useful life in the Senate mas mas
1 sSorTess Of surgery 1t is difficult for me de-
voting all my time to IT, to kegP fnr You "a to do
50 I do not wonder therefore. that you 90 mo-
lovi accurately either the facts the sources OF
Ibe wonderful progress which surgery has made
especially in the last twenty-%npe I'VE xior whether
clot of blood measuring nine @ T Ior
wo9ia pe odn pafhology and modern surgery
Nor would you assert that the hr$1s OF iIai
iation of the functions of the human brain mas hol
been determined by experimentation up upon FILL nf
II YOU will look the epoch MAKING az SStTealS;,oI
Horsley in The American Journal Oh, OF Meoi Me- ~
facts set forth in reference cerebral locaiizai9n On
determined upon ANIMALS ife1ences nC these facts
derived from experiments upon aninas t are afst
exactness In common with many other surgeons s rs
have done so scores ana Sc9r S3 ,sIed nj on single
occasion. Indeed. for twelve years pasL d IN IN ..1e
q nlTiosn nf Texf Book Of Surgery to show the loca
ton of the in the human praln. 80 chow
the discrepancies in inferenees from, from ,s r
Per E od IE9n at ' the rTeface to the rst edition
OF his Functions OF the Brain p XIV: y09 Sis Ttl
tTenancies many of which will be found on care
ful examination TO be more appatG,c Ii,iS selected
and varied at the will OF the eXperlHenteI, an
alone capable of furnishing precise data for SOUND
n9nctions as to the functions of the brain and its
various parts. the experiments perIorIa5ettGi Io' & Us
ing rarely limited free from such c8mpeati@oS CO @
effect extremely difficult, and IN many cases pia'-
tically Impossible. ,, -,o-, &c that done by
Horsley and Ferrier. and others who preceoed
them. well as for many s9osequefnt nrance
Of the location most of the centres OF the nrain
Occasional post-norten examinations have thrown
scrne light upon the subject, but to work out a
scheme such as is presented IN rfT records
Moreover. the complete answer to your crluSlsIn S
Is that as a matter OF fact IT never was done
until experiment upon animals made II possible
We're ii not for experiment upon anl1nas. ne
thirty years ago. and surgeons would be prac-
tisng the unintentional cruelty TO man OF the
surgery of the Civil War
Ny many anti-viv1sectionist friends. however;
though they do not pretend TO have Stude1
surgery. seem to know offhand great deal more
As 10 the cases Of cruelty you recite every hu-
name person would condemn them utterly. but
%,nU give no NJ data bv which can refer to the
original statements. At the hearing you refer 10
Senate document mere newspaper gossip from
Irofession ITO which YOU stiIl claim TO belong) OF
horrible cruelties in the Vienna hospitals Your
present citations are equally Impossible of yeri-
hoaton. Moreover assuming them TO be true:
these crueltes occurred daily in most la60ratories
suppoSition which is absolutely untrue. The great
etirey painiegs pa IF the crueifies You cite oc
capable Of dealing with them. Instead Of these
which in its administration by laymen who know
rcthing Of medicine or surgery would not only
aim 10 prevent cruelties which do not exist
here, but also arrest researches which would be
0s tfr T6ie sacng n importance G @ to man a9kR1 6 and AMI a
IN reply TO your question that such legislation
You sake issue with me as to the character of
read an tbees biIls carsf and + tbiI an or
rect in statement at the beginning of my letter
that they were -'noninaly for regulating expert
but that they would in fact prohibit many if not
all of them II they had become laws If this be |
So / cannot but regard them cruel and fnhu-
name legislation. very much if a law were |
passed forbidding any person to aid in rescuing |
a drowning
II was clearly shown at the hearing before the |
Senate Committee the District OF Columbia |
february y: 1900 that the bill then under con- |
siGer2tion If enacted into law. capable Of |
being so administered by the laymen charged with
us administration as to prohibit all experiments |
uEon animals; that in express terms II absolutely
prohibited many important and useful lines of ex-
Fermentation. including some Of those relating
10 the localzation of brain centres and that It |
surrounded The practice Of animal experimentation
with MANY absurd and veXaticus restrictions
The avowed object of the great iority OF anti
Vvsectfonists is 10 obtain restriction regulation
of v1Vsection stepping stone to its entire aboi-
tlon- The reason for the persistent attempts TO 1
have Congress pass such laws for the District of
Columbia is that they may this action as a |
lever upon the various State legislatures
Allow me in closing this correspondence so far |
as am concerned, to state that I have no doubt |
That ypur motives humane and sincere bur 7 |
belieVe that they misdirected to such an ex-
tent mat the result of vow Efforts, If successful
would be not only 10 mankind but to animals as /
well both cruel and inhIsr"ane ! have the honor |
70 Re. yours very respectfully w W KEEN
Philadelphia. Dec. %. 1902