pain.

What, then, is the value of the phrase, "ANAESTHETICS WERE USED"?
Dr. Hoggan has told us. It has no value whatever.

Sir Thornley Stoker, President of the Royal Academy of Medicine in
Ireland, and an inspector of laboratories under the Act, was
questioned about the pain endured by an animal in course of a
prolonged vivisection, and he frankly admitted that a vivisector
"could do no more than give an opinion. He could have no CERTAINTY as
to the entire absence, the continuous absence, of pain."[2] Dr. Thane,
a professor at University Medical College, London, and a Government
inspector, being asked whether one might not be able to distinguish
between painful and painless experiments, replied that "the inspector
never could distinguish exactly which experiments were painless and
which were painful, AND THE EXPERIMENTERS AND OBSERVERS THEMSELVES
cannot distinguish IN A VERY LARGE NUMBER OF CASES."[3]

[2] Evidence before Royal Commission, Question 1,064.
[3] Ibid., Question 1,335.

These are the opinions of experts. This attitude of uncertainty is
the only ground possible for a scientific man who aims at stating the
whole truth. When a professional vivisector gives us assurance that
no pain was felt during the severest operations, he is only putting
forth an opinion. He is but mortal. We are not obliged to assume his
infallibility in a region where experts are in doubt, and where there
may be a desire for concealment.

During the last decade of the nineteenth century, a work was published
describing in detail experiments upon surgical shock--so termed to
distinguish it from a similar condition arising from overwhelming
emotions. These experiments were almost exclusively made upon dogs,
man's faithful friend and companion; and their number was so great and
their character so horrible that their publication at first excited
general criticism and condemnation. At one the suggestion was put
forth that the experiments were painless, because "anaesthetics were
employed." The vivisector had said:

"In all cases the animals were anaesthetized, usually by the use of
ether, occasionally by chloroform, either alone or with ether. In a
few cases CURARE AND MORPHINE WERE USED."

In a number of succeeding volumes, the same assertion has been put
forth; and as understood by the average reader, it has tended to
dispel doubts regarding the character of the experiments. It seems
worth while to examine the account o