§ MR. J. G. WEIR (Ross and Cromarty)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has yet been able to institute the promised inquiry into the allegations made by Dr. E. Berdoe, in regard to the use of curara in the practice of vivisection; and, if so, will he state the result of his inquiry?
§ *SIR MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEYYes, I have made full inquiry into the allegations contained in the letter and statement which the hon. Member forwarded to me, and find that they are absolutely baseless. The experiments referred to were performed on animals under full chloroform anæsthesia; the morphia, to which alone allusion was made in the published account of the experiments, being used in addition. Curara was used, but not as an anæsthetic.