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"I abhor vivisection. It should at least be curbed. Better, it should be abolished. I know of no achievement through vivisection, no scientific discovery, that could not have been obtained without such barbarism and cruelty. The whole thing is evil.

An advertisement for an animal rights group printed in The LA Times misattributed the above quotation to Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of Mayo Clinic, and incorrectly labeled him as a critic of animal research. The board of governors of the Mayo Foundation wrote to The LA Times to correct the record, saying: "There is no evidence that Dr. Mayo ever made any statement critical of animal research. Charles Mayo and his brother, Dr. William J. Mayo, who both died in 1939, strongly supported the use of animals in biomedical research for the benefit of humanity."

The quotation originally appeared in the New York Daily News and was apparently heard personally by William Hendrix, a staff writer. While it is now impossible to prove or disprove the quote, it does appear to be firmly at odds with Mayo's actions in supporting biomedical advances based on animal research.

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-08-12/local/me-267_1_mayo-clinic-animal-research-mayo-brothers

http://articles.latimes.com/1991-10-26/entertainment/ca-318_1_ecumenical-patriarch-dimitrios



Last edited: 22 August 2014 11:07

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