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

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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$logical office in Great Britain was at Edinburgh, and now there are three only, ibid., 2b01. Does not think there is any private experimentation out of a laboratory, Klein, 3571, and very little out of the physiological schools, Humphry, 638-40; Fergusson, 1139-40; Sharpey, AQ2-A ■, Paget, 307Gamgee, 5370. The physiological investigators in England are very few, Ferrier, 3256, Gamgee, 5370, and are mostly eminent, Ferrier, 3257-9, as well as competent and careful men, Simon, 1369-71, 1378-81, who experiment for the purpose of discovering actual henehts only. Believes they would support any legislation for restraining vivisection within these limits, Taylor, 1184. In England these experiments are in the hands of a comparatively few competent persons only, Sharpey,A3\-A. Believes English experimenters generally are humane. Turner, 3139-40, and more considerate than foreign ])hysiologists, Foster, 2410. Experiments are in England, as far as possible, performed under aneesthetics, Pye-Smith, 2048-9. The tone of English feeling on this point is higher than that abroad, Rutherford, 2850-4. The English public has considerable regard for the feelings of animals, Klein, 3547-8, 3554; and this feeling tends to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain, Btirdon- Sanderson, 2235-7. Does not believe there is any cruel experimentation in England, ibid., 2688. Does not believe that abuses exist in English schools, and thinks they may be safely trusted to prevent them and to minimize j)ain, Foster, 2320-1, 2346-7, 2416. Severe experiments are seldom performed in England, Sharpey, 479. English physiologists are more considerate than foreign physiologists in inflicting pain, Foster, 2410; Burdon- Sanderson, 2227-9. Does not know of any case of wanton cruelty, 1543-8. Does not believe the opinions held abroad will make progress here. Bur don-Sander son, 2759. Any abuse in experiments on live animals is greatly exaggerated; believes these investigations are properly conducted by competent persons in England, Humphry, 619-20. There is no basis for the present popular excite- ment, Handy side, 5948. Thinks it probable young English physiologists who have studied abroad, particularly at Leipsic, might intro- duce the methods used there, Sharpey, 538; but they are not common in English schools, Paget, 351. Considers that medical journals and works of physi- ologists prove vivisection to be frequent in this country; that students are instructed by means of handbooks; and hat the experiments are often useless and cruel, Colam, 1569. Believes also that continental views of vivisection are rapidly spreading in this country, ibid., 1569. The course of experiment in England and abroad is much the same; and such experiments as Paul Bert’s will certainly be undertaken here unless they are forbidden, Hoggan, 3459-61, 4164. Refers to the appointment of a French physiologist at the college for the medical education of women, Burdon- Sanderson, 2790-5. (ii.) In the medical schools. , Does not know half a dozen schools in England in which ex])erimental physiology is carried on, Humphry, 763-5. The number of laboratories in London is very small; the largest are at University College, Guy’s Hospital, King’s College, and the Brown Institute, Schafer, 3820-3. Hopes, however, that the number of laboratories will increase, as vivisection is now much too infrequent, Gamgee, 5383. There is very little j)hysiological work now done in England, Humphry, 763-8. Believes that less pain would be inflicted if physiology were as well studied here as abroad, Cleland, 4660. Vivisection is carried on at some colleges and hospitals in London; also by Dr. Richardson at his residence and at Owen’s College, Manchester, at Edinburgh, and by Professor Foster at Cambridge, who is much employed in that way, Sharpey, 457- The medical school in Edinburgh is the largest in the kingdom, and physiology is taught there by' a course of lectures, a practical course and a few experiments on live animals, Rutherford, 2830-1. All e.xperiments at Edinburgh are performed as humanely as jiossible. Handy- side, 5928-9, 5931. Reads, as evidence of the growth of the practice of vivisection, particulars with regard to the plans for the ])hysiological laboratory in the new university buildings at Edinburgh, Jesse, page 223. These buildings are designed not to increase vivisection but to give greater convenience for experiments, Rutherford, 2890, 2892-3; the larger number of which are on the dead tissues, the chemistry of digestion, &c., ibid., 2869-70. States the number of dogs, rabbits, and frogs used in B the systematic and practical courses at the University of Edinburgh, Rutherford, 2990-2, 2838. In both courses the dogs and rabbits are rendered unconscious, and the frogs generally pithed; those not pithed are used to illustrate the action of poisons, ibid., 2832-9. Experiments for original research are either performed by himself or his assistant, or some one under their imme- diate superintendence, Rutherford, 2840. During the last year 40 dogs and 8 rabbits were used for purposes of research; the number of dogs was, however, exceptionally high, ibid., 2993-5. On the average about half these experiments are painful, ibid., 2841-6. Quotes from the “ Scotsman ” a passage by Dr. Ruther- ford as to the practice at Edinburgh University of making experiments without narcotics when necessary for research or verification of results, Jesse, page 223. Has never known a student desirous of undertaking an original research; at Edinburgh the only experiment by students is that of demonstrating the circulation of the blood under the microscope, Rutherford, 2997. De])recates the practice of requiring theses from students Ijefore giving them the M. D. degree at the University of Edinburgh, on the ground that it leads to vivisection by the M. B.’s in order that they may have something original to write about, Hoggan, 4238; admits, however, that the number of theses at Edinburgh on experimental physiology is relatively small, ibid., 4242-3. Refers in detail to an experiment on a curarised frog, which formed part of the course at Edinburgh in June 1871, and with which witness was so disgusted that he never went again, Scott, 5188-93, 5209-3, 5221-3, 5227-8, 5233-6. Ex[)erimental research has been long and humanely pursued in Ireland, McDonnell, 4511, but experiments for teaching are very few indeed, although some are desirable ; the number cf animals witness has used altogether is very small, ibid., 4509-10. The Dublin University forbids vivisection and will not recognise the certificates of schools in which students are permitted to practise it, or in which it is used as a means of demonstration, Haughton, 1867, 1869. All experiments on live animals, even if under anaesthetics, are included in the prohibition, but not experiments on animals just killed. Purser, 4839^3, 4847-9, 4867-8, 4886; Haughton, 1919- 23; and as artificial respiration can be kept up, a consider- able number of experiments can be performed under these conditions, Haughton, 1917-8. These regulations were made a year and a half ago, when the physiology class was first started, ibid., 1898. Professor Purser conducts the classes in physiology and histology without experi- ments on live animals, and finds no practical difficulty, although he would as a matter of feeling prefer being unfettered, ibid., 1903-7- Is considerably impeded in his physiological lectures by the University regulation, for- bidding experiments on live animals. Purser, 4792-3, gives instances, ibid., 4843, 4851-5, 4876; thinks that if the regulation were repealed the control of the University authorities would prevent abuse, ibid., 4834-5. Students do not perform experiments at Dublin; con- siders that they should not be allowed to do so, unless under the direction of a professor. Purser, 4812-6, 4835-8. The professors in the five extra schools agree that vivisection is unnecessary in lecturing, Haughton, 1900-2. Describes the government, &c. of the school of physic, ibid., 1868. At Oxford no one in particular is authorised to perform exj)eriments, Acland, 960, but students are not allowed to undertake them, ibid., 961-2, Rolleston, 1334, and there is no reckless experimentation, ibid., 1335. The experiments shown to students have been very few, and always under anaesthetics, ibid., 1336-7- Experiments at Cambridge are not under control of the authorities, but of one of the professors, Humphry, 757-61, under whom senior students, many of them men advanced in years, are sometimes deputed to perform vivisection, but always under anaesthesia, ibid., 694- 6. There is no physiological laboratory at St. Bartholo- mew’s, but a private room of Dr. Brunton’s is used for experiments, Legg, 5257-8. At St. Bartholomew’s saw Dr. Brunton perform several experiments on cats and frogs to ascertain the action of certain poisons, and to endeavour to find an antidote; the animals were wholly or almost entirely insensible, and were destroyed, Colam, 1568-9. In the first series of investigations with regard to cholera, gives details, witness used 90 cats, Brunton, 5721-7; is now proceeding with the third series of experi- ments ; no beneficial discovery has yet been made, ibid., 5728-30, 5747. Has never sewn up the lips of any of the cats, ibid., 5731-6. Observes that the number of animals required in original research varies enormously, ibid., 3$