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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$Experiments must be mostly confined to a laboratory, as the appliances are expensive, McKendrick, 3982-3. Mr. James Blake’s experiments as a student were excep- tional, Skarpey, 488-9, as also were those of the present Platt scholar, Mr. Priestly; gives details, Gamgee, 5374-5, 5385, 5388-92. While a student, witness devised a new mechanical theory of respiration, and was advised by the professors and others to try it on a live animal, but felt incompetent to do so, although about to take his degree, Hoggan, 3472-8, 3490-506, 4022-33. Considers it was his duty as a teacher to advise Dr. Hoggan to test his theory of the distention of the lungs by experiments, Sinclair, 5854-77, 5885-92. Advised Dr. Hoggan to test his theory by experiments because of his great intelligence and ability ; gives details, Handyside, 59W-27, 5964-70, 5981-5, 5977- Did not refer to the use of anassthetics in conversation with Dr. Hoggan, and cannot say if chloroform would have interfered with the result; should not have thought it wrong to perform it without, Sinclair, 5898-9, 5907-8 ; advised him not to use cats; gives reasons, ibid., 5822, 5893-7. Believes students at Edinburgh were advised to experi- ment on live animals, and did so at their own discretion without anaesthesia; refers to one who experimented on 10 or 15 cats, Hoggan, 3479-89, 4104-6, 4209-24, but declines giving an opinion as to whether the professors encourage it, ibid., 3507-27. Students of ability are recommended to make investigations and embody the results in theses, Handyside, 5971-4; Sinclair, 5878-84. At Edinburgh neither young medical men nor students are encouraged to practise e.xperimentation except under supervision or in preparing theses, McKendrick, 38.93-4, 3996-9, 3974-81. It was not common for medical students to try private experiments with the concurrence of the lecturer, Handy- side, 5953-5; witness never advised any student but Mr. Hoggan to experiment, ibid., 5958-61, 5978-80. Students do not perform experiments at Dublin, and should not be allowed to do so unless under the direction of a professor. Purser, 4812-6, 4835-8. Experiments have been made by students at the Veteri- nary College for the past five years, and will continue until put a stop to. Mills, 4952-5; gives instances and details of some cruel and painful ones, which were, howCver, unknown to the authorities ; one on a dog sent by its owner to be destroyed, ibid., 5009-31, 5136-55, 5165-6. A diseased horse, ibid., 4965, bought for dissection, was kept for a week, ibid., 4957, 4964, 5108-9, and experimented on all over, ibid., 4966, by the students without any control, ibid., 4950-1, 5107, without ansesthetics, ibid., 4958-9, 5179-80; gives details of the operations, ibid., 4960-1, 5110-9, 5127-32, which were performed openly in the quadrangle of the college, ibid., 4947-9, 5133-5 ; believes the prin- cipal must have known of this experiment, iSiii., 4936-46, 4956-7, 5125-6; Colaw, 1622, 1682-8. Knows nothing of the experiments by students referred to by Mr. Mills, Turner, 3130-3. When a student, he was present at various private experi- ments by students at their lodgings. Mills, 4916-24, 5055- 100, 5l8l-3, on cats and dogs obtained by cat hunts and poisoned baits, ibid., 4927-31, 5167-72; gives instance, ibid., 5156-9; the e.xperiments were simply to demonstrate known things, and showed mere idle curiosity and a reck- less love of vivisection, ibid., 4928-32. Thinks Professor Huxley’s “ Lessons in Elementary Physiology ” encourages vivisection by young persons; quotes passages in support of this opinion, Jesse, pages 223-4; i6id.,‘6506-27. S'D’S'PSiV ©r AW2®ail.3C.S. The animals are obtained in a secret way; gives par- ticulars, Colam, 1569, 1637—43; they al’e obtained by private purcha.se, Klein, 3575-8; some are purchased at Lcadenhall Market, Pavy, 2101-4 ; but cannot say how the cats and dogs are obtained, Burdon-Sanderson, 2821-4 ; asks no questions as to how the cats are obtained, Brunton, 5731-5. Does not know how the animals are obtained, Legg, 5318-9. Foreign frogs are preferred to English frogs, as they are larger, Simon, 1496, Schafer, 3784-7. Household anima.ls should be exempt from liability to experiments.—Hutton’s Addendum to Sleport, pp. 22, 23. VERIPICATIOST Off RESTtfliTS, EXPEBIMESTTS A fact being established, the experiments demonstrating it should not be repeated, Skarpey, 404-5; Fergusson, 1019-22; Turner, 3037-8 ; Alim anaesthetics, Humphry, 772-3. repetition is useless cruelty, Tay Experiments should only be is doubtful, Schafer, 3813; Alin still sub judice, McDonnell, 4472 neglected element should appi result, Fergusson, 1019-22; Acl\ , 5444-6; unless under k thing once proved, 1169. peate.fl when the result , 5444-6 ; or the matter , 4587; or unless some pf to have affected the 4l, 924-5, 987. It is difficult, however, to h when a truth is esta- blished, Colam, 1551, 1569; Pdon-Sanderson, 2223—i ; Humphry, 680-2. The numb| of times an experiment should bo repeated for the veriiation of the result is a difficult question, and must be It to the discretion of the physiologist, Rutherford, 2945-^ although such a course must naturally work very diffontly with different per- sons, ibid., 2948. Id repeat a very painful ]don-Sanderson, 2780. risor Ludwig would be at No English ]ihysiologist wl experiment, verified abroad. Be Results by such men as Pro s once accepted in England r^out repetition, Schafer, 3814-5. If an expei'iment opens further questions they should be solved under proer supervision, Haughton, 1956. If there be any doil as to the result of an experiment it should be repeped, Rutherford, 2847. Ex- periments made to establishii new fact can hardly be relied on until tried by othepbservers, Sharpey, 519-22 ; but only very highly qualifieonen are competent to under- take experiments with sucl]' objects, Burdon-Sanderson, 2225-6; Rutherford, 2803-0'\ A considerable revision o results has been necessary during the last 25 years, but such a necessity is not likely to recur, Burdon-Sanderson, :'81-2. Some of Sir Charles Bell’sixperiments, such as that on the spinal cord, Sharpey, 461-5, and those of Dr. Foster as to the functions of the neijes of the vertebree, should not be rejjeated, the facts beiiJ established, ibid., 536. Dr. John Reid’s investigations 4th regard to the eighth pair of nerves were also so carfully carried out, and the re- sults shown to so many skrul men, that their repetition is unnecessary, McKeridrick'3944. Thinks some of Sir Chajes Bell’s experiments on the nerves are not quite conclus’e, Humphry, 635-6, 680-2. Does not believe that veterinary surgeons practise physiological research, and as never seen it in a veteri- nary college, Pritchard, 7S-90, 872. Is opposed to the establishment of a laborairy at the Veterinary Institu- tion; gives reasons, ibid. 869-71. At the Veterinary College the performance o operations is not permitted to students, but is restrictedlto the three chief officers only, ibid., 807-11, 839-40. me knowledge from treating diseased animals is more eliable than that derived from physiological experiments, ibid., 882-4. No experimental operations on bealthy a imals are performed at the College; admits that th^ should be if likely to benefit animals generally, ibid., 7p6-7, 823. Instances, however, novel operations attempled for curative purposes on diseased animals, ibid., 8e6-7, 844-5. Navicular disease is so common among horses that experiments on healthy animals are unnecessary for showing students how to treat it; the operation is performed under anaesthesia, ibid., 379-80, 873-81. Chloroform was used at the Veterinary College for painful experiments and delicate operations; uses it himself in some cases of firing. Mills, 4962-3, 4967-8, 5046-52. Horses and donkeys brought for dis- section were kepit in a paddock until wanted, ibid., 5120-1. Mr. Williams, the present principal, performed all the experiments, ibid., 5104-6. Has known tenotomy per- formed as an experiment on a horse not under chloro- form, ibid., 5034-44; also the jugular vein of a pony opened, and the blood blown back, ibid., 4997-5008. Lithotomy is V'ery rarely performed on the horse, and might have been learnt from the dead subject, ibid., 4993. The principles of She Beport apply to the practice of veterinary surgeons, and they are included in the purview of the measure recommended (see BEG-lTIiA- TION”).—Beport, pp. B.9, 20. ZOOXiOCrXCAV. ©ABBEHS, AM£MAX,S AT THE. Lions and tigers are shorter lived in the Zoological Gardens from want of exercise, Garrod, 2018-9; but it would be absurd to shut up the gardens on that score, Haughton, 1937-8. Tubercle is more destructive than any other disease, and in most cases the conditions cannot be accounted for, Garrod, 2010-6. The domestic animals live as long there as elsewhere, ibid, 2017- 1 i$