He Wants to Do What?
PETA requested the experiment documents through the Wisconsin "open records" law, and received a Powerpoint slide show presented by Webster at a town meeting convened to discuss Tasers. Webster believed that Tasers do not "electrocute" the heart, and this slide shows that Webster has already made up his mind:
The Experiment Is Ill Conceived and Poorly Designed; the Outcome Is Predetermined
Professors and other experts question technical merits of the experiment. "An anesthetized pig is a very dubious model for a highly adrenalized, conscious, heart-racing, stressed culprit. . . . It would be much more convincing to examine human data exhaustively," states Colorado State University's University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Biomedical Science Bernard Rollin. He goes on to say, "[W]e are living in an era where scientific credibility in general, and animal research in particular, are, as it were, on trial. The cavalier treatment of animals to test weaponry mocks the oft-repeated claim that animal research is justified by being a powerful tool to further animal and human health."
The information conveyed in many other of Dr. Webster's slides is also problematic. For instance, in one slide, Dr. Webster asks the question: "Is 50,000 volts from the Taser the problem?" Dr. Webster then answers his own question: "No ... the current, time duration and charge are too small to cause electrocution of the heart." This unsupported conclusion serves to undermine his hypothesis and appears to be an attempt to predetermine the outcome of future experiments Dr. Webster proposes to undertake--demonstrating an unprofessional research bias and violating the basic precepts of equipoise. --James Angelo Ruggieri, P.E., MIEE |
The Experimental Protocols
PETA then received a batch of incomplete documents, which raised even more questions (besides "Where are the missing pages?"): Where are the drugs? How, when, and to which pigs will they be administered? Where is the anesthetic regimen? Who reviewed this for scientific merit? Who is funding the cocaine? How many pigs will be used? What measurements will be taken?
We have learned that no protocol has been approved for drug tests, and even Chancellor Wiley expressed consternation when Webster talked about cocaine, so Webster may have jumped the stun-gun in his zeal to continue his experiments. When PETA inquired about any prospective drug experiments, we received a glib and sarcastic answer from Webster’s partner, vivisector James Will:
Well, of course we would not be pleased. It is untenable that another grant could possibly be given to this pig-Tasering team at UW-Madison, but we’re going to have to tell the DOJ in no uncertain terms that it is unacceptable that animals continue to be abused and killed for Taser tests.
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Please write immediately to Chancellor Wiley and to the National Institute of Justice.
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