As your editor writes these lines (on 14 September 1989) the ILDAV is preparing for its latest Congress scheduled to take place in Zurich in two days time. We are extremely grateful to the busy chair of ILDAV, Dr Milly Schar-Manzoli for sending NZAVS the Minutes of the last meeting held in Paris on 17 June, which will breathe a ray of optimism onto our stunned members (given the turn of events in New Zealand), and the following extracts of that meeting will help regain their confidence in the cause. Always remembering that seldom do things worthwhile come easy.

The Paris Congress was organised by the French Antivivisection League on behalf of ILDAV, which includes doctors, scientists in medical fields, pharmacists and veterinarians from over 50 countries. Speakers from Gt Britain, Japan, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and France came together under the following agenda:

"The Harmful Consequences of Vivisection to Human Health:

• The difference between species and the results which cannot be extrapolated to humans;
• Diseases which artificially induced into animals and which bear no relation to the human condition;
• The consequent misleading results of so-called safety-testing of medicines on animals and the false sense of security it gives the consumer."

Seating capacity in the hall being 550 meant that many of the 600 people attending either stood or sat on the floor to hear the medical and scientific professionals stress the urgency on grounds of invalidity, for the immediate abolition of vivisection.

The following are extracts from some of the speeches:

Dr Lea Franken (Belgium) Biotherapy - Homeopathy - Acupuncture
said our medicine is toxic and is not based on science. We need a different kind of research based on a new model of science outside the laboratories, studying health rather than disease and the conditions to maintain good health physically, socially and psychologically.

Research should be based on prevention and education and linked to poverty in the Third World and at home to water, food and pollution.

This is positive research, whereas in animal laboratories recreating diseases artificially is negative. Research should be carried out on the patient directly through observation in the clinic.

Dr Peter Guy Manners (Gt Britain) MD, PhD
spoke of the uselessness of working on animals to find cures for humans. He said:

"Medicine is now being directed to an understanding that man is much more than a materialistic concept, and that our understanding need be directed toward energy and vibrations and how they interact with molecular structure and organic balance. This is an evolving field which moves us away from the drug scene and toward a new concept."

Prof. Dr Andre Passebecq (France) - President of ILDAV
spoke about prevention and said that health depends on our lifestyle - what we eat, exercise etc and gave many examples. He related his own experience when he was very ill during the war and nearly died, but was restored to health through natural therapies. He said he had not taken a single drug for 40 years.

Prof. Passebecq said that patients are often prescribed more than one drug and that it is impossible to predict the results of the interaction. This can produce violent disorders.

(Prof. Passebecq studied Medicine, but is now Professor of Natural Medicine and teaches doctors in France and Belgium formerly trained in Orthodox Medicine.)

Dr Barthelemy, Doctor and Surgeon, former Assistant to Dr Albert Schweitzer
said Dr Schweitzer was absolutely against vivisection. He believed in respect for all life.

Speaking of his work in Africa, she said it was the belief there that a sick person should not be left alone. Respecting this and recognising its importance, he always allowed the whole family to stay together with the patient. He believed that love and compassion were essential ingredients for health.

Dr Hidetoshi Amano (Japan) Doctor of Medicine (Osaka University) 1957. Head of Hiwasacho Town Hospital. Vice President of the Association of Doctors and Scientists Criticizing the Animal Vivisection. Trustee of Japan Association for Abolition of Animal Vivisection
denounced medical experimentation, especially animal vivisection and genetic engineering, as a pretence of medical progress. He said that this is leading to destruction of man and the Earth.

Dr Ryu Ohta (Japan) President: League of the Earth and Humans for Great Renovation - formerly the Earth Green Federation of Japan
said man's disrespect for life and his greed is bringing mankind to ruin. Mankind has enslaved the whole Earth. He said:

"Any Green Party or ecology movement that does not clearly assert the abolition of animal vivisection as its No. 1 theme, is fake and bogus."

Departing from the rule this Congress invited one non-professional, Mrs Babs Diplock, from Cleethorpes, Britain, who suffering from the effects of drug treatment spoke of damage to her liver, lungs and heart; wasting muscles, crumbling bones, failing sight and adrenal atrophy. She said she spoke for the millions of victims like herself throughout the world. The assembly was visibly moved by her story and applauded a number of times during her speech. Angered by her disabilities several people jumped up and asked what the legal position is for such victims of drugs produced by vivisection.

Babs Diplock is founder of the Steroid Aid Group and has appeared on several British television programmes.

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Joy Palmer of the Campaign to End Fraudulent Medical Research reports from the meeting that speaker after speaker called for...