Weir-Mitchell, S. M.D.; Mem. Nat. Acad. of Sciences, U.S.A.
Weisman (Dr.), Prof. of Physiol. and Prosector of Univ., Freiburg in Baden.
Wells, Sir T. Spencer, Bart., 3, Upper Grosvenor Street, W. F.R.C.S. Eng. (Hon.), 1844; M. 1841; F.K.Q.C.P. Irel. (Hon.), 1867; Dub. and St. Thos.’s; Mem. Counc. (Vice-Pres. 1880); R.C.S. Eng.; Fell. Roy. Med. Chir. Soc.; Mem. Roy. Inst., Path. Soc.; Imp. Soc. Surg. Paris; Soc. of Med. Paris, and Soc. of Phys. Sweden; Hon. Mem. several foreign learned Societies; Surg. to Queen’s Household; Cons. Surg. Samarit. Hosp. for Women and Children; late Prof. of Surg. and Path. R.C.S. Eng.; formerly Surg. Roy. Navy.
Author of “Diseases of the Ovaries, their Diagnosis and Treatment,” 1865 and 1872; “Ten Series of 100 cases of Ovariotomy;” Med. Chir. Trans. 1859-80, and numerous contributions to Medical Papers.
“If we could hope in diseased women for the same series of changes as have been observed in healthy dogs and rabbits, we might agree more completely with the conclusions of the German experimenters. But it is one thing to remove a piece of a uterine horn, or a healthy ovary, or a bit of omentum or mesentery, from a dog or a rabbit, and a very different thing to remove a large uterine or ovarian tumour from a woman whose general health has been more or less affected by the growth of the tumour.”—Diseases of the Ovaries, London, 1872, p. 372.
“I made experiments upon animals for which I have been vilified, but for which I do not reproach myself.… They corroborate what was known before, that abdominal wounds well adjusted unite readily. This was not what I wanted. They proved more, and were the visible standing evidence which I did want—that, though the other tissues might be brought together, if the cut edges of the peritoneum were left free, they retracted, direct union did not take place, and secondary evil consequences resulted.… Without this convincing demonstration in my hands, I might have gone on for years, bowing to precepts and oblivious of principles, sometimes taking up the peritoneum and sometimes leaving it loose, with perplexity to myself and danger to my patients.”—Ovarian and Uterine Tumours, London, 1882, pp. 197-98.
“Fifteen years after my first operation (in 1842), T. S. Wells came to Manchester to be present at one of my operations, and made many inquiries, amongst which—‘Did I include the peritoneum in my interrupted sutures?’ I replied, ‘Certainly;’ and gave as my reason, that in two cases where the suture had not included the peritoneum hernial protrusions had followed. I also added, that peritonitis could only be set up once, whether the sutures included the peritoneum or not. I was for some time after in correspondence with Mr. Wells, but never heard of vivisection in connection with ovariotomy, nor can I perceive any advantage that ovariotomy has received from such experiments. All my operations from first to last have shown the same average amount of success—about 75 per cent. I have never practised nor yet countenanced vivisection. I have given up operating after 400 cases and about 100 deaths.”—Letter of Dr. Clay, dated April 6th, 1880.
“The whole progress of abdominal surgery dates from the first successful case of ovariotomy performed by Robert Houston in 1701. Failing to see the lesson taught by this, and led astray by vivisection, no further success was achieved till 1809, by Ephraim McDowell, and it was not till 1867 that any substantial gain was made. Disregarding all the conclusions of experiment, Baker Brown showed us how to bring our mortality of ovariotomy down to 10 per cent., and again, in 1876, Keith proved that it might be still further reduced. The methods of this reduction were such as only experience on human patients could indicate; experiments on animals could and did teach nothing, for operations have been performed on thousands of animals every year for centuries, and nothing whatever has been learnt from this wholesale vivisection.”—Lawson Tait, F.R.C.S., “Uselessness of Vivisection,” p. 27.
Wertheim, G. Prof. Med. Fac. Vienna University.
Roasted 30 living dogs.—Annual Report of Rudolph Institute, Vienna, 1867, pp. 172, 183.