Report of the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes : with minutes of evidence and appendix.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Vivisection
Date:
1876
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes : with minutes of evidence and appendix. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    App. IV. 2.30. Injection made, A few minutes afterwards it passed some milky looking water and then remained perfectly quiet. 3.85. Passed water which was quite clear. 3.33. Injected about two grains into the right femoral vein. It passed clear water almost at once. 3.35, Its nose gave a jerk inwards. Wounded leg drawn up. 3.38. Nose twitches frequently, and the animal emits a faint barking sound. 3.40. Slight tremors. 3.50. Begins to eat a piece of bread placed near it. 3.58. Still twitches. 4.8. Is still sluggish, but seems nearly well. Re- covered. Experiment 7-—October 29, 1872.—About i a grain of fresh but coagulated and cheese-like cobra-poison was suspended in distilled water and injected into the back of a guinea-pig weighing about a pound and a quarter. 2.23. Injection made. 2.26. The animal looks scared and is twitching. This guinea-pig is very active. 2.30. Another dose injected. The animal is twitching much. It jumped out of the deep box in which it had been ])laced for observation. Breathing is hurried. 2.36. It seems better. Another dose injected into the thigh. 2.45. Not much effect. Another dose injected. 2.46. Twitching continues; animal remains active. It recovered. . . . . . . Snake poison probably produces its fatal or deleterious effects either by completely paralyzing thfe nerve centres or other portion of the nervous apparatus, and thus causing arrest of respiration, or by partially paralyzing them, and also poisoning the blood, thereby inducing pathological con- ditions of a secondary nature, which may according to circmnstances cause 'the slightest or most dangerous symptoms.—Proceedings of the Royal Society, Vol. 21, No. 145, pp. 365-70. An opportunity occurred to me in June last of perform- ing some experiments with the poison of the cobra di capello or Naja Tripudians. A small quantity of the cobra poison in a dry state was given to me by Mr. Black- burn, formerly a pupil at Guy’s Hospital^. . . . . . with the aid of my colleague. Dr. Pavy, the experiments were performed in his physio- logical laboratory...... Two grains thus dissolved, including the gelatinous portion, were introduced into a wound made in the side of a rabbit by Dr. Pavy, the wound penetrated into the cellular tissue beneath the skin, very little blood escaped. The edges of the wound were then sewn up. No particular symptoms manifested themselves for a quarter of an hour. Mr. K. Ashby undertook to watch the animal, and I subjoin a note of his observations. Operation completed. Began to show symptom of loss of power in limbs, particularly in hind legs, resting its body on the table without supporting itself on its limbs. It got uj) and moved when irritated. Respirations quick. Cannot support itself on its legs Lies over on its side. Respiration slow. Eyelid shut lazily when the corner is touched. Eyes insensible to the touch, six or eight slight con- vulsions. Respirations, all movement ceased twenty minutes after the poison had begun to act. Chest opened five minutes afterwards. Heart still beating, and continued to beat for five minutes after the chest was opened, when it became engorged and stopped. A middle-sized healthy dog was selected for the next experiment. The animal had been kept without food for many hours. Two grains of the poison finely powdered and mixed with a small quantity of powdered gum to give it uniform consistency, was brought to a fluid state with half an ounce of water. This was injected into the stomach of the animal by means of a catheter. No symptoms of poisoning were at any time observed, and in the following day the dog was as well as usual, and took his food with ajDpetite. — Dr. Taylor, Guy’s Hospital Reports, 1873, p. 297. About 280 experiments are recorded performed by Dr. Fayrer on dogs, cats, pigs, kids, birds, r£tts, horses, and several other animals, consisting of various snake bites. It is needless to add that the animals suffered much ])ain for periods of from one to several hours duration—in some instances 70 hours. Nine experiments were performed on dogs, pigeons, and fowls.—Edinburgh Medical Journal, Vol. 14, p. 522. Twenty-seven experiments were performed on fowls, dog, cat, frogs, and fish.—Ibid., pp. 915-21. Nineteen experiments were performed on dogs, cats, birds, pig, &c. &c.—Ibid., p. 996. Six experiments on dogs, pig, snake, and civet cai.—Ibid., Vol. 15, p. 236. Two experiments on two horses.—Ibid., p. 242. Fourteen experiments on fowls, cats, and snakes.—Ibid. p. 245. Thirteen experiments were performed on fowls, chicken, and snake.—Ibid., p. 334. Twenty-one experiments were performed on snails, fowls, dogs, chickens, and snakes.—p. 417. Two experiments on snakes.—Ibid., p. 423. Four experiments on cock, rabbit, and dog.—Ibid., p. 427. Five experiments on dogs.—Ibid., p. 428. Two experiments on dogs.—Ibid., p. 429. Four experiments on dogs, kid, and pigeon.—Ibid., p. 620. Eleven experiments on dogs, fowls, and snake.— p. 807. Nineteen experiments on dogs, cats, and fowl.—Ibid., p. 813. Eight experiments on dogs, kittens, and snakes,— p. 994. Ten experiments on dog, fowl, and snake.—Ibid., p. 998. Three experiments on dog and fowls.—Ibid., p. 1000. Six e.xperiments on dogs and fowls.—Ibid., p. 1099. Four experiments on dogs.—Ibid., p. 1104. Five experiments on dogs and fowls by the cobra poison. —Ibid., p. U06. Six experiments on dogs and fowls by cobra poison.— Ibid., Vol. 16, p. 53. Five experiments on. dogs and fowls by cobra poison.— Ibid., p. 56. Seven experiments on dogs, cats, and snake, by cobra poison and carbolic acid.—Ibid., p. 57. Four experiments on dogs and fowls by cobra poison.— Ibid., p. 135. Four experiments on dogs and fowls by cobra poison.— Ibid., p. 137. Three experiments on dogs and fowls: Cobra poison. Dr. Fayrer says “ I have seen as much difference “ between the effects produced by different daboias, or by “ the same daboia on different animals of the same species, “ as in those that had been bitten by the cobra; and on “ the other hand similar differences in the effects of the “ bites of different cobras, or of the same cobra on different “ animals of the same species, as in those bitten by the “ daboia.”—Ibid., p. 139. Four experiments on dogs and fowls. Cobra poison.— Ibid., p. 423. Seven experiments on dogs and fowls. Cobra poison.^— Ibid., p. .426. Five experiments on dogs and fowl by snake bites.— p. 430. Six experiments on dogs and fowls by snake bites.—Ibid., p. 431. Two experiments on dogs^by snake bites.—Ibid., p. 434. Five experiments. Dogs and fowls.—Ibid., p. 435. Five experiments performed on dogs and fowls by snake bites. [One of the dogs is described as “ wildly excited, “ whining, and licking,the bitten part, which is bleeding “ and swollen.”]—Ibid., p. 628. Six experiments of much the same character as the above, the animals remaining in great suffering for from 2 to 70 hours.—Ibid., p. 631. The following will generally serve to describe the 280 experiments, as regards the sufferings of the animals. No. 1. A full-grown pariah dog was bitten in the thigh by a full-grown and vigorous co5rn, of the variety called by the snakemen kurees keauteah. Two tablespoonfidls of Mr. Otho Alexander’s fluid antidote was poured down the dog’s throat immediately after the bite, which was inflicted at 12.18 p.m., and the vegetable extract or paste, made into the consistency of honey with liquor ammonia, was well rubbed into the wound and over a large surface round it. . . . . . . , 12.19 p.m., the dog limped on the bitten leg, and seemed restless and uneasy; 12.26, retching; 12.30, very I’e.st- less, breathing hurried; 12.31, vomiting; 12.33, stao-- gering,'profuse defsecation; 12.34, convulsed; diarrhma; rises, staggers, and falls over into convulsions; 12.35, violent convulsions; 12.37, perfectly paralysed, heart still beats, no respiration ; 12.38, dead, in 20 minutes after the bite. ...... No. 5. A fowl had 20 drops of the blood of the dog, poisoned by a col)ra in experiment No. 1, injected with the