HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 57 
I will be the first to grant and to proclaim that the great majority 
of scientists — and particularly those of the biological sciences — are 
kindly, humane men and women. But that fact constitutes no valid 
argument against a need for this legislation. 
More than 200,000 persons, by a very conservative calculation, are 
engaged directly in the use and handling of animals in research, 
teaching, and the production of pharmaceuticals. Commonsense tells 
us that in any such group there are people of many kinds — humane, 
kind, lazy, conscientious, careless, cruel. Not everyone who handles 
animals in a laboratory is a scientist. There are kennel men, janitors, 
technicians — and they far outnumber the scientists. Even among the 
scientists there are many shades of opinion about their responsibility 
to the animals they use. 
History and modem experience tell us that the conditions that H.R. 
3556 is designed to correct cannot be controlled by voluntary action. 
One might as well propose that all anticruelty laws be abolished, on 
the ground that everyone will then spontaneously and voluntarily 
emulate St. Francis. 
No doubt you will hear other objections to my bill. This is an im- 
portant piece of legislation and it is right that it should be care- 
fully examined and natural that it should be greeted skeptically. It is 
proper that the scientific community and the public should wish to 
be sure that nothing shall be done to inhibit the work of anyone who 
can expand our knowledge of the universe and apply our knowledge 
to our needs. I share that concern with everyone else. 
But I offer and recommend this bill to you with earnest personal 
conviction that it is desirable as a matter of public morality, that 
it will improve medical research, and that it will save public funds 
that now are being wasted. 
Mr. Chairman, as you stated, of course, this is my last year in the 
TJ.S. Congress. If I were here next year, when I think some action 
most certainly should be taken on this bill, I have made the state- 
ment that on page 8 of the bill beginning with lines 1, 2, and 3, 1 would 
move to amend the bill by striking out lines 1, 2, and 3 on page 8. 
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. That completes my statement. 
Mr. Roberts. The Chair would like to thank the gentleman from 
Missouri for his interest in this matter and for what I consider to be 
an excellent statement of this bill, its purposes, and I certainly want 
to compliment the gentleman on his appearance before the committee. 
In one part of the statement where the gentleman points out that 
we are spending, according to the figures you give, for this fiscal year 
$840,000 for medical research, and the gentleman raises some very 
serious questions whether or not there has been in some instances 
ridiculous projects, perhaps an overstimulation of some types of medi- 
cal research, and I am glad the gentleman pointed up these matters 
because the chairman of this committee and the members of this 
subcommittee will go into this matter thoroughly following the con- 
vening of the new Congress, provided the chairman returns. I am 
grateful to the gentleman for a very fine statement. 
I do not believe that, had the gentleman made a long and serious 
effort to close out his congressional career in some fine manner, that 
he could have done it any better than appearing here today in behalf 
of this legislation. 
