Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-25
NOT FOR VV|SECT|ON
Excitement Over Purchase of
Dogs UncaIIed For.
Statement OF OFFICIAL
Experiments Planned to Find Rem
edy for Sheep Disease.
DOZEN ANIMALS ARE WANTED
Government May Secure Them From
the District Poundmaster
for Fifty Cents Each.
STATEMENT OF OFFICIAL
DOZEN ANIMALS ARE WANTED

the District Poundmaster
for Fifty Cents Each.
All anti-vivisectiOn excitement over tn
purchase of dogs for experimental pur
poses by the bureau of animal industr.
is entirely unwarranted. according to al
official statement issued by Acting SeCre
tary OF Agriculture Hays this morning
This statement says that the bureau o
Animal industry is not engaged in an.
hidden vivisection practices, but is reall.
trying to do good. 1t is said it Is ex
per1mentlng to find remedy for sheer
disease and incidentally will benefit TIN
dogs experimental with rather than in
jure them.
Mr.. Hays says that the department hal
been burning the midnight electricit!
thinking up new ways to help the dogs
to help the sheep, to save the Distric
and now the effort is held up in the pub
lie press as something fathered by vi
terror motives.
AS matter of fact. the department ha
not contracted to take the whole outpu
of Poundmaster Einsteins dog emporium
1t wants only about a dozen dogs, Sne
these for specific purpose.
There is in Europe a widely distributed
and much feared sheep disease known a:
gid. This is contraction for giddinesS
and it manifeStS itself in sheep in tina
way. There is worm that gets into tn,
brain of the sheep and as it grows ant
affects one side of the brain it manifest:
itself by making the sheep wabble il
circles.
Comes From Tape Worm.
This trouble comes originally from
tape worm that infects dogs and wolves
and the only way that it can be commun
icated to sheep is by having the forag,
or drinking water infected by these ami
mails. Conversely. the dogs and wolves
can be infected by the sheep and as thu
sheep are thrown constantly in contac
with sheep dogs it is regarded as vitality
important to find sure remedy for Thu
particular breed of tape worm.
Gid is not very prevalent in this coun
try. 1t was discovered in Montana Z
few years ago. and there are sporadic
outbreaks of it elsewhere in this coun
try. But in Europe, whence it is oc
casionally imported here, it is seriou!
menace. Statistics show that 1,OO0,OO'
die annually of gid in France. Ten pei
cent is the average loss for the United
Kingdom, though the infection in som'
localities runs as high as 40 per cent
Germany and other European countrie!
are equally infected.
oeSedrcneS In the SlQ tape worm are
being carried on by B. II. Ransome OF
the bureau Of animal industry. He
says that he has no intention of carv.
ing up any dogs alive and that the
worst that will happen to any of the
gid experimentees will be a good dose
of castor OIL
The dogs that are to be experimental
with are to be well housed and cared fo
and well fed. They eventually will have
to be killed, anyhow. and the bureau will
do the job instead of the poundma ster
and will use chloroform instead of char
coal fumes.
Agreement as to Price.
1t developed today in connection will
further inquiry into the agreement between
the District Commissioners and Prof A
d. Melvin, chief of the bureau of ANNA
industry, that the bureau might purchas,
unclaimed impounded dogs at price of u
cents each-the dogs to be used lin re
search work"
A prior agreement for the sale of thu
city's surplus of ownerless or unlicensed
dogs gave to the hygienic laboratory an;
public health and marine hospital servic,
the right to purchase the animals from
the pound at the rate of 80 cents each
And still earlier in the spring thhe pound
master was authorized to sell dogs to tn
army medical museum.
All of the papers in both cases wer
marked mot for publication and in
formation concerning the sale of dog
was not forthcoming until the rumO
gained credence that animals sent t
the bureaus of the United States gov
eminent were to become the principals il
sefies of up-to-date vivisection exer
cises.
The correspondence of the Medica
Museum, the hygenic laboratory and tn
bureau Of animal industry was mad
n
The first request for permission to bu
dogs from the pound came from Maj.
F. Russell, Medical Corps, U. S. A, cura
tor of the Army Medical Museum when
the sdOgs purchased would be used TO
the instruction Of student officers ant
for the investigation of cancer, anemia
hook worm disease and other investiga
tons in epidemic diseases
An order was written by the Commits
sioners which permitted Maj. Russell t.
have such dogs as he needed.
Then came the request of DR.. Anderson
of the public health and marine hospita
service, who, in his letter. proposed to us
the dogs lin the hygienic laboratory TO
certain experimental work. All sucl
work to be done in strict compliance witt
the laws and regulations of the Distric
of Columbia relating to cruelty to ami
mails
Dr. Anderson sent with his reques
to which the investigators in the lab
oratory proposed to put the dogs.
Purpose of Laboratory.
The hygienic laboratory was estab
lished by Congress in 1902" said DIR
Anderson, land among other things the
act establishing it provided that i
should investigate matters pertaining
to the public health Among the sub
jects that have been given much atten-
ton in the laboratory has been TIN
standardization of certain potent drugs
Among these l might mention diph
liberia and tetanus anti-tOXins. digitalis
srgot, adrenalin solutions, atropine ane
a number Of other important therapeuti.
agents. For the proper Standardization
of some of the above named drugs it i:
absolutely essential that dogs be used, a.
other animals are totally Unsuitable fol
this purpose.
also in the study of a very fatal form
of cancer in dogs this animal alone cal
be used, as the disease is not transmitted
to animals of ether species.
I'm the study CT hookworm in the lab
oratory we have been compelled to rel,
on dogs for most of our information. TIL
first studies showing the way in which
the hOckwOrm gains entrance to the Sys
tenn were made upon dogs, there BEN:
no other animal than man Suita BILE fo
such studies.
In view the above. it would seem tina
by permitting properly authorized lab
oratories to purchase dogs for the abov'
purposes. it would be humane methot
for the disposition of the dogs, and il
addition would be of distinct benefit t,
humanity"
Permission was granted to the hygieni,
laboratory to purchase dogs from tn