DBAAE Congress
The Second International Congress of Doctors in Britain Against Animal Experiments was held in London on 24 September 1992, titled
"A Renaissance for Scientific Medicine?"
The press conference preceding the meeting had an overflow attendance of serious journalists and free-lance writers exhibiting much greater awareness of the issue than they had at the previous congress. The strong interest may have stemmed from the recent withdrawal of two brands of measles/mumps/rubella vaccine following the discovery of a possible link with meningitis.
The following brief comments of the doctors' speeches is summarised from the report in Civil Abolitionist, Autumn 1992. NZAVS is grateful to its editor Bina Robinson.
From Britain
Dr David Johnson, current President of DBAAE
MRCS, LRCP, MF Hom., D (Obst.), RCOG
Senior Partner in NHS general practice until 1977
In private homeopathic practice since 1977
Title of speech: "Animal-orientated medicine: The be-all or the end-all?"
Dr Johnson cited many examples of how animal experiments have delayed medical discoveries as in developing corneal transplants and open heart surgery and the failure of animal studies to reveal the link between tobacco smoking and lung cancer. He asserted that:
"DBAAE exists for the immediate and total abolition of vivisection on scientific and medical grounds... Real medical advances have come from clinical, post mortem and epidemiological studies."
Dr Peter Mansfield
MA, MB, B Chir, FP Cert, Cert GAM: NHS Family Doctor
Founder, Templegarth Trust
Founder President, Doctors in Britain Against Animal Experiments
Title of speech: "Invalid science: questionable medicine."
Dr Mansfield challenged the health service thus:
"It (the National Health Service) has never improved the health of the nation by making it rely on medicines. All eyes have been on microbes, molecules and animal models. When did anyone in authority ever stand back and take a long look at the whole human being? When medical science moves into experiments on animal models, the assumptions that connect them with human experience become outrageous, yet are never questioned. The era of a true health service has yet to come. We have first to reject this false science that is without meaning for human health and happiness."
From Germany
Dr Werner Hartinger M.D.
Surgeon. Specialist, Surgery and Traumatology, further degrees in Internal Medicine, Gynaecology, Obstetrics, Anasthetics
Since 1970 in private surgical practice in Traumatology. Chairman, German League of Doctors Against Animal Experiments
Patron, Doctors in Britain Against Animal Experiments.
Title of Speech: "Animal experimentation: science, industry and reality?"
Dr Hartinger challenged the assumptions that medical successes of recent years can be attributed to animal experiments, or that animal experiments bring about an improvement in health.
Dr Bernard Rambeck
Studied chemistry and completed his doctorate with a study dealing with microbial biochemistry.
Since 1975 Head of the Pharmacological Research Department of an epilepsy centre in northern Germany.
Title of Speech: "The myth of animal experiments."
"Animal experimentation removes man farther and farther from his declared and wished-for goal, namely the comprehensive healing of body and soul." Said Dr Rambeck.
Dr Gerhard Buchwald M.D.
Specialist in Tuberculosis, Specialist in Internal Medicine, Specialist in Natural Medicine.
For 30 years Medical Adviser to the Association of Parents of Vaccine Damaged Children.
Title of Speech: "Is vaccination a necessity or is it only profit for the pharmaceutical industry?"
Dr Buchwald was interviewed at length on Sky Television. He stated:
"It is useless to use animals for developing vaccines because those vaccines are ineffective and result in damage to the person vaccinated."
From Italy
Prof. Dr Pietro Croce, M.D.
Pathologist, Milan University; Member, American College of Pathologists
Former animal experimenter
Author of 'Vivisection or Science - a choice to make'
Hon President of Doctors in Britain Against Animal Experiments
Title of Speech: "Vivisection, man the final victim."
Prof. Croce expressed optimism for the future as follows:
"Our movement is progressing through the birth of 'scientific anti-vivisectionism', the getting together of medical professionals and the growing interest of the mass media in our objectives."
From the USA and Switzerland
Dr Christopher Anderegg, M.D., Ph.D
Medical Doctor, biologist and former animal experimenter at Yale University, (New Haven CT) and at Hoffman-La Roche (Basle) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich)
Founder and Director of the Swiss anti-vivisection organisation 'Zurich Campaign for Humans and Animals'
Title of Speech: "Advertising in Switzerland for the abolition of animal experiments in face of the pahramaceutical and 'animal protection' syndicates."
Dr Anderegg told the Congress that abolishing animal experimentation requires changing public opinion:
"Only when the myths of vivisection have been exposed through medical and scientific arguments will public pressure mount and the laws be changed."
From Greece
Dr George Haritakis, M.D.
Cardiologist. Studied medicine at the University of Bologna, Italy: Specialised in cardiology in Athens at the cardiolotical university clinic of the 'Ippokratio' Hospital, and worked at the anti-cancer hospital 'Metaxo'
Engaged in epidemiological research with 10,000 people concerning coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer in Greece. Founded the Greek Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Member of the Greek Group Against Vivisection, and of the American Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Title of Speech: "The nonsense of vivisection."
Dr Haritakis decried the squandering of money on animal experiments in Greece where patients suffer from woefully inadequate facilities and care.
"Preventative medicine is ignored whilst barbarous and nonsensical animal experiments lead to the creation of 'paper' doctors, whose training is never going to prepare them to confront human diseases."
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