I may add that this Society is not opposed to vivisection when the practice is properly safeguarded against any cruelty.
I enclose an addressed and stamped envelope for your reply; and thanking you for whatever information you can afford, I am,
Yours faithfully,
FREDERICK P. BELLAMY.
A few details concerning the result of this experimental inquiry may be of interest.
The Department of Physiology of the University of Minnesota reported that the material used for the demonstration of physiological and pathological phenomena before students consisted of 88 dogs, 74 cats, and 420 other animals, making a total of 582 for the year 1914.
The Department of Pathology and Bacteriology of the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia reported using "about" 124 rabbits and guinea- pigs, chiefly for research purposes. No report, however, was received from the Department of Physiology.
The North-Western University Medical School of Chicago sent a courteous reply, stating that it would be hardly possible to make any report "as to the number of animals used in experimental work in our laboratories." Research work was carried on "in at least four laboratories of the Medical School, and in the work dogs, rabbits, and guinea-pigs particularly are used…. As the work of research varies materially from time to time in the several laboratories, we have no way of making even an approximate estimate which would be of value" of the number of animals used. Probably this is the case with most other large laboratories in this country.
The Eclectic Medical University reported the use of but six small animals in its research work. The director says:
"Our laboratories lead the world in cancer research, yet we have never used an animal for this purpose. We are the second laboratory in the world in research of pellagra, and have used only four animals…. We have achieved the above results because we believe in clinical and not in experimental research."
From some thirteen institutions, chiefly belonging to the South or West, vague or imperfect reports were received. Some of them disclaimed the use of living animals in teacher, or the use of animals higher in the scale than turtles or frogs.