EXPERIMENTING ON ANIMALS

Evening Star, Issue 19794, 18 February 1928, Page 2

EXPERIMENTING ON ANIMALS

INFANTILE PARALYSIS RESEARCH NO CRUELTY INVOLVED That (he conclusion had been reached (hat there was no ground for a complaint that animals used for experimental purposes at the Medical .School were subjected to cruelty was mentioned by Sir George Fenwick at the annual meeting of the Otago Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. It had been alleged, said Sir George, that the monkeys which were used by the medical men in connection with the Otago Medical School for research work relating to infantile paralysis ivere subjected to cruelty. The committee investigated the matter very thoroughly, and he personally saw the person in charge and was given a definite assurance that under no circumstances was cruelty allowed. The invariable practice was not to touch the animals until they were under an anaesthetic. He was satisfied there was no ground for tho accusations of cruelty. The medical men were doing the necessary work in infantile paralysis without practising cruelty in their work. Dealing with vivisection, Sir George said it had been a moot question in England for many years, and in the attitude taken ,up by the Otago Society it was following on the well-known lines of the society in England. In this connection, the president read the following precis of evidence given by the late Mr A. G. Scott, chairman of the council of the society (afterwards Sir Guilliuni Scott) and Sir Frederick Banbury, Bart., M.P., member of the council of the society (now Lord Banbury of Soutbam) to the Royal Commission on Vivisection on December 11, 1907 “ The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was founded to protect animals generally, and not for the suppression of any kind of cruelty in particular. Tho members of the society; are drawn from all classes, and there is a considerable difference of opinion amongst some of them upon various subjects, although on others they are practically agreed. On the question of vivisection, for instance, there is a wide diversity of opinion, many persons objecting to any kind of vivisection; while others object only to painful experiments; others again consider that vivisection is necessary for the advancement of science in the interests of mankind. The attitude taken up by the society, almost since its foundation, has been that it deprecates all experiments on animals which cause pain, but as regards experiments which cause no pam there is no ground for interference by the society, because the question of cruelty does not arise. The society, therefore, is of the opinion that all severely painful experiments should bo carried out while the animal in question is completely under the influence of an anaesthetic, and that it should be destroyed before the effect of the anaesthetic has been removed.” The effect of the' evidence, added Sir George, was that, so long as animals were not subjected to pain, experiments for the benefit of mankind ought to be carried on,