Dog lovers appalled by experiments

Press, 26 July 1977, Page 8

Dog lovers appalled by experiments

NZPA Adelaide South Australian experiments on dogs which show that the growth of bones can be stimulated electrically are being investigated by the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. During the experiments, in which sixty-nine dogs were used, researchers removed pieces of bone from the animals’ legs and implanted tiny electrical stimulating devices. The R.S.P.C.A. state manager (Mr Michael Harries) said the group did not object to [experiments that were legal, carefully surpervised, and essential to the advancement of science. But he said he would study reports on the bone-growth [experiments before commenting further. Reports from London said' [that the British medical jour-! [nal, the “Lancet” had re-j iceived protests about the use| of live dogs in the Adelaide; experiment. In the London “Sunday I :Mirror," at the week-end, the! chairman of the R.S.P.C.A.! council and a hospital psycho-i

epogisl, Mr Richard Ryder, said, “I am bloody furious. [ - The effects of the surgery v must have been frightful.” ' n Within seven days of the! e experiment, one of the dogs; e had starved itself to death l I and another eighteen had to be destroyed. i. The 50 which survived the i ? eight-week medical “scan-j i ning” after the operation have - since been put down. Mr Ryder added: “And even i . after all this the surgeons! - aren’t able to say their find-! Lings will apply to humans.” • > i 'rhe leader of the team i . I which performed the experi-[ II ment is Sir Dennis Paterson, |; t j aged 46, the head of ortho- |i ipaedic surgery at the Ade-‘< ’ laide Children’s Hospital andl< i president of the Crippled !j • Children’s Association of [1 South Australia. li II “Using electric current to! (stimulate bone growth was|f [first reported in 1941 audit ‘[1950 and interest has in-lt creased markedly in the past;t 20 years,” Sir Dennis said, js i “Although there have been j [main experiments reported,[g lours is the first which pro- r iduces conclusive scientific [t

,1 evidence that bone growth .[will occur in a situation "where it is naturally im[paired, delayed or even ■ I stopped. | “The results have shown 'more and quicker new bone I ■ formation with electrical; •stimulation than without it,’’j Ihe said. Sir Dennis said the team! had been complimented for! [the way animals had been! [cared for and handled during! [experiments. The clinical! [human trials so far had been! [very encouraging. i Sir Dennis said the tech-! [nique might be invaluable in [accelerating the healing of [difficult fractures, repairing 'congenital deformities encouraging bone growth where [joint, replacement surgery [had been conducted and aidling bone grafting. “Even though we have a 90 per cent result in dogs it! doesn’t necessarily mean ; that good results will be I achieved in humans,” he[ said. “The dogs were in very good health and condition and not all patients are this fortunate.”