356 THE AMERICAN MONTHLY [Oct. 



There is a narrow line of research which he alludes to 

 as the truth which has "use one can turn into dollars." 

 Of course he who seeks only such truth as his fancy tells 

 him will coin into money for his personal benefit, lives a 

 narrow and selfish life. But he who studies histology 

 utterly regardless of practical application, i. e, "for histol- 

 ogy's sake" has placed himself at the opposite extreme, 

 and lost all wisdom which in our days as in former times 

 lies at the golden mean. 



Were Dr. Moore to devote ten years to bacteriology 

 solely for bacteriology's sake, let him tell us on what 

 principles he would choose his experiments. All value or 

 use humanitarian being dismissed from consideration why 

 do one thing rather than another? He can only reply: 

 "Do what bids fair to yield the largest increment to ab- 

 stract knowledge." His time being thus absorbed in the 

 abstract, humanity is suffering for the facts not covered 

 by the scientist's ambition. 



Such doings have caused the crusade by certain humani- 

 tarians against vivisection. We hold that all vivisection 

 that has humanity's relief in view is proper and that only 

 such is proper. Vivisection for truth's sake is simply 

 barbarous. 



Last winter we were so unfortunate as to have an anti- 

 vivisection bill reported favorably in the United States 

 Senate. It is likely to become a law. We have no one on 

 the face of the earth to thank for this unwise and whole- 

 sale restriction except the people who like our friend want 

 to vivisect for vivisection's sake, who want to take animal 

 life not in search of truth which one can turn into health 

 or dollars, but who want unlimited chance to cut and slash 

 simply and solely "for truth!s sake," simply to add iso- 

 lated facts to our abstract knowledge of anatomy, of the 

 use of drugs, of biology, of bacteriology, or of some other 

 "ology." 



In place of Dr. Moore's creed let him substitute this: 

 "I believe in histology for humanity's sake and in bacteri- 

 ology for humanity's sake, and in truth simply so far as it 

 can contribute to the progress of the human race." There 



