New-York tribune., 1909-02-22
EXPERIMENTS on ANNALS.

A series of leaflets relative TO the benefits de-
rived by humanity from vivisection has been
printed by the Medical Society of the State of
New York In one. DR.. Simon Flexner. di-
rector of the Rockefeller Institute in this city,
enumerates a dozen or more Of the most for
midable diseases affecting mankind, the bacterial
nature Of which has been discovered only by
experiments animals and shows how sue
cessful warfare on these ills has been made
possible by that remarkable revelation. In
other, DR.. Z. L. Trudeau. an authority Of world
wide reputation consumption, declares that
the first real hope of conquering the great white
plague has come through this method Of re-
search In a third, DR. ". H. Park. chief bac-
teriologist Of the Board Of Health Of this city,
rehearses the not any toe familiar story Of the
diphtheria antitOxin, by means Of which, ne as
serts, more than a hundred thousand lives are
saved annually. Separate discussion is also
given TO a malady which, like consumption. IS
lingering, but vastly more agonizing. and which
of late years has found an increasing number OF
victims Or. James Ewing. Of Cornell Unver-
sity, president of the American Society for Can
Ger Research, describes recent work which has
laid the basis for preventive treatment and
has opened up field of search for q cure
Of established cancer"
A fifth chapter, contributed by DR.. Robert A.
Hatcher professor OF Blaterid fRedicG In Cornell
University. ana meinDeE OF IIiS cOInClI Oh pDdT-
macy and chemistry of the American Medical
Association, deals with information concerning
drugs obtained by experiments on animals. Ac-
cording TO this authority, the introduction of
great variety of new medicines has been made
possible only through such tests. The list in
cludes numerous ''soporifcs' (such trional
and veronal), local anasthetics' 0ike cocaine),
which facilitate surgery without the use of chic
roform. antipyretics (for reducing fever, sew
ling the action of the heart. Standards Of
strength, for determining the size of a safe and
effective dose have been established In the same
manner both for drugs and bacterial serums.
Here certainly, is impressive array of
testimony from men peculiarly fitted TO bear
witness Inasmuch as some Of 1t is the fruit OF
extremely recent investigation, perhaps the facts
presented are not fully known, even TO the ma
jority of medical practitioners. At any rate, it
should cause no surprise if many intelligent and
well Informed laymen are still unacQuainted
with them. This may possibly explain much of
the opposition to viyisection, opposition
which can have rational basis only in abuses
attending the practice. II these could be ade-
0uately guarded against there would probably
be an almost universal agreement with Presi-
dent Eliot of Harvard University when he said
(to q legislative committee in Massachusetts,
"To my thinking, these unthinking advocates
'[Of anti-yiVisection iawsJ are really cruel to
their own race"
In our Judgment. before further restrictions
are imposed on persons engaged in experiments
on animals in the cause of humanity there
should be convincing evidence that needless
pain is being inflicted in such work This evi-
dence should be accepted too, only from wit
nesses concerning whose competency there can
be no doubt. DilIgent effort should also be made
to learn to what extent anasthetics are used
those agents ii is well TO call attention TO a
statement made By DR.. Frederick S. Lee, OF Co