Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-26
ALL RIGHT IF RESTRICTED
Not Disposed to Fly in the Face of
All Physicians.
URGES USE OF ANESTHETIC
Movement in District Against the
Practice Said to Have Reach
ed Fever Heat.

ington Humane Society to have Congress
at it's next session pass bill prohibiting
or regulating vivisection in the District
of Columbia, The Star received an inter
| esting statement today. 1t is an admis-
sion by Chester A. Snow. president of the
local humane society, that he is not OPP
! posed to vivisection under certain condi-
| tions.
The anti-vivisection movement in the
District may be said to have reached a
| fever-heat point. Thomas Nelson Page,
Mrs. Mary Howe Totten and others are
| deeply concerned and pulling together
| with a vim for the eradication Of what
they term the brutality of science" in
| the District.
| Further, Mrs. Totten is said to have
learned on good authority that some Of
the animals captured on the public
| streets and taken to the Washington
pound had been turned over to govern
| ment research and experiment stations
and there vivisected.
Does Not Doubt Physicians.
II am not disposed Mr.. Snow says.
ito fly in the face OF all the physicians
| and the laboratories. 1 do not believe
| that they are naturally cruel in prac-
| ticing vivisection. But they should be
compelled to make the experiments with
as little pain as possible. Vivisection
should never. in my opinion, be made
except with the use of a safe anesthetic
that will insure the absence of feeling in
the animals being operated on.
"Vivisection has undoubtedly accom-
plished much good for the human race.
believe that physicians and experiment.
| ton have made discoveries which have
really promoted the ends for which hui
| name people are striving; that under
proper anesthetics that will bring in
sensibility to pain it should be made
| lawful for them to continue the expert
mentS."
Statement by Mrs. Totten.
Mrs. Mary Howe Totten is reported to
have declared that something should be
done as soon as possible to bring the
widespread practice to a stop, but the
campaign against 1t must be one of per-
| suasion and education rather than an
tagonism.
1T Is the absolute uselessness of the
infection of suffering upon the helpless
animals that is the strongest argument
against vivsection, and try as they may,
it's advocates cannot adduce single in
stance wherein 1t has proved of assist
ance in discoveries which have augment
ed medical science.
being conducted at one of the Washing
ton hospitals, in the course of which rab-
bits are tied down to the operating table
and cut to pieces while agony racks their
bodies until at last merciful death comes
to relieve them the results, by the words
Of the surgeons themselves, can prove
nothing.
Declares It Utter Folly.
"a rabbit dies under the knife. but the
surgeon Is delighted and says: If it had
been a human being the experiment
would have succeeded The utter folly
Of It! If they can learn nothing or prove
nothing by the experiments. as this state
ment would seem to admit, why do they
do it?
This case is parallel with the argu-
ment adduced by the celebrated French
vivisectionist and surgeon. Charles Ri
Chef, who In his defense of the practice
attempted to demonstrate how vivisection
proved man could live with one kidney.
"A man was brought to him who was
suffering from kidney trouble. and it was
apparent that one Of the organs must be
excised. One kidney was removed and
the man lived and prospered. Then it was
that he started experimenting with ami
mails. and as a result Of those expert
ments he declared that he had proved
that man could live with one kidney.
Isn't that ridiculous?'
Health officer Denies Report.
That dogs and cats impounded by the
District are turned over to scientists for
vivisection experiments was emphatically
denied today by Harry C.. Mclean, act
ing health officer.
There is no truth in the statements that
the District authorities have been fur
nished animals caught through the pound
&c., ~v1xyi
cial said. mo dog cat, horse or any
other animal caught by the poundmaster
Of the District within the last ten years
has been SO treated"
AS a matter of fact, although Health
Officer Woodward is not what is known
as an anti-vivisectionist. the health de-
partment is supposed to be opposed to the
practice. Commissioner mcfarland, who
has direct supervision of that branch of
the District government. openly opposes
vivisection. and he is on record as pro-