EDITORIAL. 
245 
fear not. And it is with this impression that we join our col¬ 
leagues of England and of Belgium in sending our warmest and 
sincerest congratulations. 
An Assault upon American Veterinary Science.— A 
peculiar bill, and one fraught with dangerous consequences, has 
been introduced into Congress, and reported favorably, by the 
Committee on the District of Columbia. The bill is rather in¬ 
nocently entitled “ for the further prevention of cruelty to ani¬ 
mals in the District of Columbia.” Its provisions, however, are 
as follows:— 
1. —That hereafter no person shall perform on a living vertebrate animal any experi¬ 
ment calculated to give pain, making any person guilty of offense who performs or takes 
part in any such experiment. 
2. —That experiments must be performed with a view to the advancement of any new 
discovery of physiological knowledge or of knowledge which will be useful for saving or 
prolonging life or alleviating pain, and that in so-called inoculation,—experiments or tests 
of drugs or medicines, the animal need not be anaesthetized, nor during the process of re¬ 
covery from surgical procedure. 
3. —That experiments must be performed by a person holding such license from the 
Commissioners of the District of Columbia as in this act mentioned, or by a duly authorized 
medical officer of the Government of the United States, or the District of Columbia. 
4. —That no experiment calculated to give pain shall be performed on a horse, mule, 
ass, dog or cat, except upon such certificate being given as in this act mentioned ; provided 
that license shall not be granted to any person under the age of 25 years, unless he is 
a graduate from a medical college, duly authorized to practice medicine in the District of 
Columbia. 
5-—That any application for a license under this act must be signed by three physicians 
duly licensed to practice and actually engaged in practicing medicine in the District of 
Columbia. 
6. —That there shall be no vivisection in public schools or for exhibition to the general 
public. 
7. —That all registered places shall be from time to time visited, without previous no¬ 
tice, by special inspectors, who shall report to the President of the United States, which 
reports shall be made public by him. 
Senator Gallinger, of New Hampshire, who is a physician, 
is in charge of the bill, and has been pushing it vigorously. 
An analysis of the bill shows peculiar thoughts, good and 
bad provisions confusedly put together by well-meaning but 
over-zealous humanitarians, aided by a certain element of the 
medical profession u actually engaged in practicing medicine.” 
