An ethical problem; or, Sidelights upon scientific experimentation on man and animalsLeffingwell, Albert
Philosophy
An ethical problem; or, Sidelights upon scientific experimentation on man and animals
Leffingwell, Albert
Medicine, Experimental; Vivisection
APPENDIXES - - - - 333-364C
INDEX - - - - 365-369
PRESS NOTICES - - - - 371-374
INTRODUCTION
It is now somewhat over a third of a century since my attention was
specially directed to the abuses of animal experimentation. In
January, 1880, a paragraph appeared in a morning paper of New York
referring to the late Henry Bergh. With his approval a Bill had come
before the legislature of the State of New York providing for the
abolition of all experiments upon living animals--whether in medical
colleges or elsewhere--on the ground that they were without benefit to
anybody, and demoralizing alike to the teacher and student. As I
dropped the paper, it occurred to me that the chances of success would
have been far greater if less had been asked. That certain
vivisections were atrocious was undoubtedly true; but, on the other
hand, there were some experiments that were absolutely painless.
Would it not be wiser to make some distinctions?
The attempt was made. An article on the subject was at once begun,
and in July of the same year it was published in Scribner's Magazine,
the predecessor of the Century. So far as known, it was the first
argument that ever found expression in the pages of any American
periodical favouring not the entire abolition of vivisection, but the
reform of its abuse.
My knowledge of vivisection had its beginning in personal
experience. Nearly forty years ago, while teaching the elements of
physiology at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, it occurred to me
to illustrate the statements of textbooks by a repetition of such
simple experiments as had come before my own eyes. Most of my
demonstrations were illustrative of commonplace physiological
phenomena: chloroform was freely used to secure unconsciousness of the
animal, and with the exception of one or two demonstrations, the
avoidance of pain or distress was almost certainly accomplished.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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