THE CONQUEST OF DISEASE 



devoting their lives to this line of research. 

 Many observers believe that the solution of 

 the cancer problem is in sight. 



Expcri- All of the drugs which have a positive re- 



mentswith cognition and use have been placed upon a 

 drugs. scientific basis by animal experimentation. 



Drugs need not now be used empirically but 

 with a definite knowledge of just what they 

 will do. The soporifics, the anesthetics, the 

 antiseptics, the vaso-constrictors and vaso-di- 

 lators have all been accurately tested. These 

 animal tests have resulted in the throwing out 

 of many inert and useless drugs. Animals 

 also lend themselves to the teaching of phar- 

 macology, and to the determining of the 

 strength of drugs. All reliable pharmaceutical 

 houses employ animals for determining the ef- 

 ficiency and potency of their products. Drugs 

 are not now estimated so much in grains and 

 ounces as in actual potency to do certain things. 

 Sir James Y. Simpson first learned the ac- 

 tion of chloroform by trying it on rabbits. The 

 action of cocain was tested in the same way. 

 Toynbee first tried prussic acid upon himself 

 and was found dead in his laboratory. Now 

 the properties of drugs are determined upon 

 animals. 



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