188a.) Advancement of Medicine by Research. 261 
men who are not personally engaged in physiological 
experimentation, but who recognise its importance and its 
necessity. But if we carefully examine the proceedings and 
sift the speeches delivered our satisfaction is not enhanced. 
The very title of the proposed society falls short of our ex- 
pectations. It is organised for the “ Advancement of 
Medicine by Research.” Now there is much biological re- 
search needed, at present in abeyance in this country, which 
has no direCt bearing upon medicine, and which very con- 
ceivably may never throw any light upon the healing art. 
Let us take as instances the investigations in which Dr. 
Blake has used the physiological aCtion of metals as evidence 
bearing upon their atomic weights. Or we may mention all 
those researches in which animals are exposed to higher or 
lower temperatures, greater or less degrees of atmospheric 
pressure, different colours or intensities of light, varying 
hygroscopic conditions, &c. Such experiments certainly do 
not involve any “section ” at all. But we are by no means 
certain that, given a foolish magistrate and able unscrupulous 
counsel, they might not be construed as infringements of 
the Adi. Now researches of this class are of the highest 
importance as respedts the origin of species, but their bear- 
ings upon medicine are very problematic. Will the proposed 
Association protect men engaged in such investigations ? On 
a careful consideration of the speeches delivered, we see no 
clear evidence in the affirmative. Says Sir William Jenner, 
in his presidential speech, “ Besides medicine it [the Asso- 
ciation] would take in research in therapeutics, the effect on 
the human frame of some gases, foul air, and other things 
which rendered it susceptible to disease.” In moving the 
formation of the proposed Association he is reported to have 
used these words :— u That with the view of bringing the 
legitimate influence of the medical profession to bear on the 
promotion of those exact researches in physiology, pathology, 
and therapeutics which are essential to sound progress in the 
healing art, an Association be formed, to be called the Asso- 
ciation for the Advancement of Medicine by Research.” 
Now on weighing these words, and on examining the utter- 
ances of the other eminent men who took part in the pro- 
ceedings, we are reluctantly led to the conclusion that 
experimentation for purely biological purposes, independent 
of medical applications, is left out in the cold. This is the 
more to be regretted, since the anti-vivisectionist fanatics 
are quite astute enough to see the importance of drawing a 
distinction in their attacks between the medical profession 
and non-medical biologists. They are, in the first place, 
