July 24, 1896.] 



SCIENCE. 



95 



Jirmly the foundations of the healing art 

 must be regarded as a higher motive than 

 the wish to secure one's own temporary 

 amusement, and moreover the proportion 

 between the benefit obtained and the pain 

 inflicted is much larger in physiological ex- 

 perimentation than in the vocation of the 

 sportsman. 



In this connection it is interesting to con- 

 trast the fate of the victims of science^ with 

 that of similar animals living in a state of 

 nature. In doing this we are struck by 

 the vast amount of animal suffering which 

 the laws of nature necessitate. The weak 

 are inevitably the victims of the strong. 

 The chain of destruction extends through- 

 out the animal creation, and every link in- 

 volves the death of victims under circum- 

 stances which, from a human point of view, 

 seem those of revolting cruelt3^ The cat 

 plays with the mouse, apparently enjoying 

 its terror and distress. The butcher-bird 

 impales its living victims on the thorns of 

 the locust tree, thus laying up in its hideous 

 larder a store of food often far beyond its 

 needs. The larger carnivora tear their liv- 

 ing prey limb from limb. In fact, the re- 

 lations of animals to each other are such as 

 to fully justify, from a moral standpoint, an 

 indictment for cruelty against nature her- 

 self. With regard to domestic animals the 

 case is often not much better. The vagrant 

 €ur and the prowling cat lead a life of con- 

 stant terror, eking out a miserable exist- 

 ence amongst piles of garbage, and dying 

 finally, when physical strength fails, from 

 sheer starvation. Compared with misery 

 like this the fate of the chosen victim of 

 science may well be regarded as enviable, 

 for once within the laboratory precincts 

 warmth and abundant food are assured, 

 and, though the term of life is shortened, 

 its closing scene is often absolutely pain- 

 less, and is, in any case, likely to be at- 

 tended with less suffering than a so-called 

 natural death. 



"With regard to physiological experiments 

 which involve operations of a painful na- 

 ture upon living animals, it is desirable for 

 us to ascertain as accurately as possible the 

 amount of suffering thus caused. The first 

 important fact to be here noted is that the 

 great boon conferred upon mankind in the 

 discovery of anaesthetics extends its benefi- 

 cent influence over the animal world as 

 well. Just as no modern surgeon ever 

 thinks of performing a severe surgical oper- 

 ation without placing the patient under the 

 influence of ether- or chloroform, so no phy- 

 siologist neglects to use an anaesthetic 

 when performing a prolonged or painful ex- 

 periment, except in those rare cases in which 

 its administration would interfere with the 

 result of the experiment. Even on the sup- 

 position, which too many sensational writ- 

 ers are prone to make, that a physiologist 

 is absolutely regardless of the amount of 

 suffering which he causes, he will still be 

 compelled to use an anaesthetic for his own 

 convenience in order to suppress the cries 

 and struggles of the animal, which would 

 otherwise disturb the adjustment of his 

 delicate instruments and interfere with the 

 mental concentration essential for the proper 

 performance of his work. This very con- 

 centration of the mind upon the work in 

 hand prevents, of course, any active feel- 

 ing of sympathy with the animal experi- 

 mented upon, but the same may be said of 

 the surgeon who, however tender-hearted 

 he may be, never in operating allows his 

 mind to wander from the work in which his 

 hands are engaged. Neither the one nor 

 the other can be charged with cruelty or in- 

 humanity. 



In this connection it may be well to al- 

 lude to the question whether curare, a drug 

 much used by physiologists, is or is not an 

 anaesthetic. This substance is the arrow 

 poison of certain tribes of South American 

 Indians, and has the property of j^aralyz- 

 ing the voluntarj^ muscles. The earlier ex- 



