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.

    440/450 (page 22)
    from Dr. Jones’ vivisectional observations with regard to the l)est form of ligature, and the means of avoiding secondary hsemorrhage, and of obliterating arteries ; quotes various passages on the point. Turner. Mr. Jones’ experiments in connection until the ligature of arteries were the foundation of the present practice, Simon, 1446-7. Hunter himself lest patients for want of knowledge on this point, ibid., 1448-,b. Considers Mr. Jones’ experiments were valuable, but believes that as much doubt remains now as before they were made, Feryusson, 1094-9, 1108-9. The cure of aneurism followed from the discovery of the circulation of the blood, and Harvey was enabled to get rid of a dangerous tumour by tying the artery feeding it, Watson, 35. The cure of aneurism was learnt from the vivisections by Hunter and others ; formerly lives were lost I'rom want of such knowledge, Payet, 294-6, Gull, 5525. '[’he method might have been learnt from observations on human jiatients, but not so quickly nor completely as by experiments on animals, Payet, 294. Refers to the value of Dr. Hunter’s experiments on aneurism. Turner, 3027. Refers in detail to the benefits derived from experiments on animals as to the transfusion of blood, and to torsion in lieu of the ligature of arteries, McDonnell, 454l-62a. The transfusion of blood would have been abandoned long since on account of the many dangers attending it, had not experiments on animals shown the manner in which these might be obviated, Payet, 380. Refers to the mitigation of suffering in anyina pectoris, consequent on his own observations as to the action of nitrite of amyl, Brunton, 5669. Considers that in such e.xperiments chloroform would have complicated the result, that its residual action even would have interfered with that of the amyl, ibid., 5753-9. Regards these experiments as ranking, among those performed by him, next to those with regard to snake poison ; the number of animals used was much smaller, ibid,, 5751-2. Dr. Brunton’s experiments for the relief of anyina pectoris could not have been attempted on the human body, but nearly all might be performed under chloroform, Payet, 308-15. Has found great advantage from his own experiments, lAster, 4303-6, 4338, some of which led to the develop- ment of the antiseptic mode of treatment, ibid., 4350-8. The cause of asphyxia and the methods of resuscitation, and the effects of certain gases on the blood have been ascertained by experiments on live animals, Sharpey, 394. Experiments on animals were of much value to witness in forming the views expressed in his book on dietetics, Pavy, 2119-20, and have furnished results which could not otherwise have been obtained; particulars given. Turner, 3121-4. Witness considers that Mr. Erichsen’s experiments on dogs with regard to asphyxia show that the views of the Society for the Abolition of Vivisection with regard to experiments on live animals are correct, Jesse, 6453-8. Was aware that the results of these experiments were reported to the British Association, but not that the Fothergillian gold medal was awarded to Mr. Erichsen for them by the Royal Humane Society, ibid., 6459. Reads passages from Dr. John Reid’s researches, to show the contradictory opinions as to the cause of death and nature of asphyxia, ibid., paye 2J3. The reproductive functions of the periosteum and repair of bone ha\-e been mostly arrived at by experiment. Turner, 3124. Doubts the beneficial influence of Mr. Symes’ experiments on this point, Feryusson, 1027. Mr. Symes was subsequently opposed to experiments on live animals. Considers the mature opinion of such a man of great weighr, ibid., 1027-30, 1039. Harvey di'i not discover the circulation of the blood by vivisection, but from Fabricius’ discovery of valves in the veins; the fact of a fluid, when injected into the arteries of a dead body, returning by the veins demonstrates the circulation of the blood, Macilwain, 1845-6. Harvey’s, Flunter’s, and Bell’s great discoveries were not made by vivisection; and such men as Gull, Curwin, Bell, &c. have said that vivisection is useless a.nd misleading, Jesse, 6475. It is not certain whether observations on live or dead subjects led Harvey to his great discovery, Acland, 991. The discovery of the circulation of the blood was aided and perfected, rather than made, by Harvey’s innumerable vivisections and microscopic investigations into the hearts of animals, Watson, 35, 84-8. The dis- covery of the circulation of the blood by Harvey, that of the caj)illaries by Malpighi, tliat of the lyni]jhatic system by Ascellius in 1662, and its course and objects by Pecquet in 1649, arc results obtained by vivisection. Turner, 3025, and, as well as many others, coidd have been obtained in no other manner, ibid., 3057-64. Refers to Professor Riviere’s assertion “that the discovery of the circulation of the blood had not advanced medicine a single step,” Walker, 1721. Does not think this observation was meant to include surgery, 1789-90. The discovery of the circulation of the blood, though at the time a matter' of pure science, has since borne practical results, Scott, 5224-5. Refers to Dr. Brown-Sequard’s discoveries as to pos- sible recovery after section of the spinal cnrdj details given. Carpenter, 5604-14 ; and the artificial production of e])ilepsy, McDonnell, 449\-S-, points out the value of the latter, Rolleston, 1280. Observes that although no remedy has yet been discovered for diabetes and epilepsy, yet great light has been thrown on them by vivisection, ibid., 1280, 1302; the former has thus been proved not to be a disease of the kidneys. Turner, 3126- Dr, Brown- Sequard’s great skill in the treatment of nervous diseases was due to the knowledge he had acquired by his physio- logical experiments. Carpenter, 5635^1. Refers to the negative evidence that no certain means of averting the fatal effects of chloroform exist, and points out that by experiments on animals a convenient and safe anaesthetic is being sought for, Payet, 380. Refers to the value of the discovery of vaccination by Jenner, and the important investigations by Galvani with regard to animal electricity. Turner, 3027-8. Witness was present at the experiments made by Dr. Hope and Dr. Williams to determine the cause of the sounds of the heart in health and disease, which resulted in the present improved method of treatment of heart disease. The animals were rendered insensible by curari before being operated on, Burrows, 132-3. The sounds produced by the heart might possibly have been arrived at by comparing a large number of carefully tabulated cases; but, as a fact, no such result was obtained by that method, ibid., 214. Refers to the valuable and useful results of these experiments. Turner, 3027-8; McKendrick, 3879. Without vivisection our knowledge of the processes of inflammation would not have been dreamed of, Humphry, 603. Has witnessed experiments where an inflammatory state has been artificially induced; thinks the knowledge gained in such cases useless, and the experiments painful and distressing. Walker, 1727-8. Refers at length to the knowledge gained by painful experiments on animals as to the mechanism of inflammation and tuberculosis, Burdon- Sanderson, 2296-9. The causes and treatment of in- flammation can only be learned by observations on living animals; the passage of the blood corpuscles through the walls of the vessels could only have been discovered by seeing it in a diseased living animal, Humphry, 615, 743-5. Claude Bernard’s vivisections proved an action of the liver which could not probably have been arrived at in any other way, and could not, in the main, have been per- formed on the human subject without resulting in death. Burrows, 188-91. The functions belonging to the roots of the spinal nerves, the functions of the spinal cord, and other nervous centres, the reflex action of nerves and their various functions, have been discovered by vivisection, the treat- ment of tic-doloreux changed, and blushing explained, Sharpey, 394. From experiments on the nervous system drugs were applied in new ways for the soothing of pain and lessening the danger to life, Watson, 35. The respective functions of the anterior and posterior roots of the spinal nerves were definitely proved by the ex- periments of Sir Charles Bell and Majendie, Turner,l3025. Refers to the abandonment of the section of the seventh nerve for neuralgia; also to Dr. John Reid’s experiments on the cranial nerves; to his own and Dr. Dewar’s experi- ments on the retina, McKendrick, 3879. Dr. Marshall Hall, by severing the spinal cord, dis- covered its reflex action and the functions of the part below the section, thereby proving that many symptoms arose from the state of the spinal cord and not of the brain as previously sup])osed; gives instances. Burrows, 184-7. Sir Charles Bell’s experiment on the facial nen^e was comparatively painless, yet it enabled a temporary facial paralysis to be distinguished from a serious one ])roceeding from a diseased brain, and showed that the division of the facial nerve in tic-doloreux was useless. Bin rows, 141-3, 215. Thinks Sir Charles Bell’s reluctance to perform certain ex])eriments on account of the [lain refers to some performed by Majendie al.)out the same time, ibid., 221-2. XX. Opinions that they are of small practical value. Considers that the jn-actice of medicine is based upon clinical and pathological observations rather than physio- logical experiments; has not himself gained any knowledge from these experiments, and is guided in practice by his own ob.servations on thehmnan subject, Feryusson. 1101-3 ;