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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    29-30. Agrees on the whole with the Committee of the British Association as to their use, Acland, 947- Where anaesthetics have not been used in painful opera- tions it has been probably because they would have defeated the object of the e.vperiment. Colam, 1540-2; although they are sometimes neglected when they might be used, ibid., 1530-2, 1543. As to the use of anaesthetics in medical schools, veterinary colleges, &c., see Appendix III. § 8, also as to their use at St. Bartholomew’s, BrMwfoM, 5693,5700-1 ; Colam, 1568-9; at Guy’s, ibid., 1568, and at Edinburgh, Sinclair, 5826-8, 5833, 5839-40. XI. Experiments in wliicli they cannot be used. It is difficult to draw a definite line when chloroform can or cannot be used, Pavy, 2177-9. Experiments in which disease is induced by innoculation, Gamyee, 5364-6, and those with regard to the action of drugs are necessarily painful, McKendrick, 3899-905, 3933 ; Gamgee, 5359-63. In jiathological experiments anaesthetics can be'given before the operation unless the pain is too trivial to require them, Sibson, 4678-80, and in addition many diseases have an anaesthetic effect; gives instances, ibid., 4681-4. The more painful ailments, such as carbuncle, are never made the object of experiment, ibid., 4730-2. Does not consider that the use of anaesthetics should be compulsory in pathological experiments, Humphry, 670-1. Nearly all Harvey’s experiments would now be rendered painless. Turner, 3065-8 ; Watson, 35-35c ; Burrows, 38 ; and also, except as regards the pain during recovery, those performed by Hunter, Paget, 296. Painful experiments are sometimes necessary in the pro- motion of science, Paget, 293-7 ; Gamgee, 5358 ; Turner, 3138; Burrows, 162; but the pain would usually be of short duration. Lister, 4296-7, 4315-6 ; McDonnell, 4489, 4570 ; and be minimised by operators. Turner, 3438. The number of very painful experiments necessary in research is very small, Sibson, 4744. Some experiments on the nerves of sensation are necessarily painful, Pavy, 2182-4 ; McDonnell, 4586-8 ; Burrows, 144, 194-7, 251; Watson, 53-6 ; Sharpey, 533. Anaesthetics would have frustrated Sir C. Bell’s experiments on the nerves for instance, Wat- son, 47-50; Sharpey, 408-9. They would also possibly interfere with the object of many experiments as to the action of poisons, but is not aware of any other classes of experiments in which they cannot be used, Watson, 53-6. Many experiments on the nerves are, however, not of a serious nature. Burrows, 140. Bell’s experiments on the facial nerve, for instance, were almost painless, Shar- pey, 408-9; and some may be performed under partial anaesthesia, McKendrick, 3944. The number of necessarily painful experiments is very small, McDonnell, 4470-1, 4490, 4587 ; and when the result has been obtained the animal should be at once killed, Pavy, 2182-4 ; Allman, 5455-6. Lingering pain is neither necessary nor justifiable, Watson, 25-6, 44, 94-5 ; Taylor, 1181-3 ; McDonnell, 4474, 4490, 4587. Anaesthetics are not much used in toxicological experi- ments, Taylor, 1241; they would interfere with the results, 1188-9; but protracted suffering is never necessary, 1181-3; Watson, The effects of drugs or of operations can only be judged of after recovery from anaesthesia, Pye-Smith, 2053. There is a considerable latitude of opinion amongst physiologists as to the amount of pain which it is justifi- able to inflict, McKendrick, 4009. In investigation anaesthetics should not be used except for convenience sake ; gives instances, Klein, 3538, 3562-3, 3599, 3602-5, 3660-1. Investigators have no time to consider the sufferings of animals, ibid., 3538-44. Believes that investigators in pure physiology share his views on this point, ibid., 3606, 3700-6; and thinks that there is little difference of opinion between English and foreign physiologists on the subject, Klein, 3553. Admits, how- ever, that Dr. Sanderson does not agree with him, Klein, 3750-2. Considers also that some experiments are per- formed with less pain without chloroform than with; gives instances, Klein, 3560-1, 3741-5. Correspondence as to emendations in Dr. Klein’s evi- dence, and amended copy. Appendix II. § 2. XIX. Kinds and nature of anaesthetics used. Claude Bernard has recently published a book on the use and effects of anaesthetics, Gamgee, 5419. Chloroform is the anaesthetic best understood, Watson, 63. Chloral is not safe. Brunt on, 5769-70. Alcohol acts as a strong narcotic on frogs ; chloroform and chloral are more power- ful, but cannot be used in many experiments; opium is more available, Sharpey, 532, 556. Opium is an anaesthetic, but more dangerous than chloro- form, Brunton, 5771-5- Maintains that under morphia or opium pain is felt but forgotten, Hoggan, 4184-93. Quotes Claude Bernard’s opinion that the action of morphia is “ stupffiant,” producing immobility, but not insensibility; jioints out that the dog referred to by Bernard cried when pinched; quotes passage on the point, Hoggan, 4133, 4194-5. It is certainly erroneous to assert that “there is “ no real insensibility to pain from narcotism by morphia “ or opium,” or that narcotized animals are sensible to pain, Brunton, 5809-10. Opium, chloral, and chloroform, all destroy pain if given in sufficient doses, Rutherford, 3010-1; Garrod, 1919. Animals can easily be ke])t under the influence of chloro- form for three or four hours, Pavy, 2205 ; death under their influence is painless, Paget, 381. Thinks anaesthetics do more to lull public opinion than to mitigate animal suffering; gives reasons, Hoggan, 4107-8. There is an uncertainty about the question of anaesthetizing animals; it is difficult to know when an animal is anaesthetized, Rolleston, 1349-50. Regards perfect quiet during an important skin section as a sign of complete anaesthesia, Garrod, 2022-6. Irrespective of feeling, anaesthetics are of great use to operators, Pavy, 2099, and would be used if only to facilitate operations, Colam, 1568 {page 81); pain complicates results. Gull, 5469-70, and the removal of sensation is generally necessary to the success of an experi- ment, ibid., 5466-7 ; Turner, 3153-5. A severe operation introduces abnormal conditions, and’the physiologist has to choose between that and the disturbance caused by the anaesthetic, McKendrick, 3934-8. Considers that experiments under anaesthesia are, with some exceptions, of but little value, the conditions being abnormal, Fergusson, 1077> 1083-5. XV. Effects on various kinds of animals. Believes there is no difficulty in anaesthetizing animals if the anaesthetic be varied; instances the giraffe, Garrod, 2006-9. Has tried to produce anaesthesia in lions and tigers without effect, Haughton, 1947. Sometimes chloroform, sometimes local anaesthetics, such as ether spray or iced water, are used in operations on animals at the Royal Veterinary College, Pritchard, 791-3, 889. Describes the means by which cats, dogs, and frogs are put under chloroform, Brunton, 5737-9. Giving chloroform to dogs is a long and painfld operation, Klein, 3601, 3654-5, and often kills them; would use it on cats, Pritchard, 797-822. It is difficult to chloroform a horse, and only necessary in severe operations. Lister, 4331-7; it injures horses and poisons their hlood, hut it is almost impossible to destroy them by it, Pritchard, 794-5, 804-5. There is no difficulty in giving chloroform to a horse if it be done with care. Mills, 5050. Oxen and sheep do not require so much chloroform as horses, Pritchard, 812-4. It is difficult to give anaesthetics to the lower animals without destroying them, Haughton, 1947. Thinks frogs and the lower animals may be put under anaesthetics, but has not had much experience on that point, Humphry, 727-34. Has no knowledge of the effects of anaesthetics on the lower animals, Watson, 74. Can give no infor- mation as to effect of anaesthetics on frogs. Burrows, 228-9. Frogs and even tadpoles can easily be rendered insensible by immersion in chloroform and water, McDonnell, 4563-5; Gamgee, 5415 ; or by means of ether, Garrod, 2028. It is difficult to get frogs under chloroform, Burdon-Sanderson, 2378, or ether, and probably causes considerable pain. Lister, 4379, 4416-9. Frogs can generally be pithed, Cleland, 4632, 4658-9; Sharpey, 535 ; except in experi- ments on the nerves, in which chloroform could not be used either, Haughton, 1948-50. Proper care sbould be taken to insist upon the removal of sensibility to pain even in cold-blooded animals.—Keport, p. 19. THE BROWN' INSTITUTION Is an institution for the study and cure of maladies and injuries of animals serviceable to man ; latterly investigations into the nature of diseases have also been carried on there. Carpenter, 5646-50 ; Burdon-Sanderson, 2625-6. The senate of the University of London are trustees, and some points connected with the trust will be dealt with by that body, when the Commission have reported. Carpenter, 5647, 56M-4. Witness describes his position with regard to the Univer- sity of London, Klein, 3574, 3612, 3615-7, and states that