Ban on dissection

Sir, - In `Vegetarianisation of education' (Science/Technology supplement, Sept. 27), Dr. D. Balasubramanian has done well to highlight the likely adverse consequences of the ban on dissection in school curriculum and the oppressive rules against animal houses.

Policymakers should ensure the development of adequate manual skills in students at the school level. The ban on dissection will be a hurdle to the emergence of talented researchers in biology. In future, we might have surgeons like the professor in an apocryphal tale who was an expert in thermodynamics but could not light a fire.

While it is desirable to ensure that animal houses and research laboratories adhere to the World Health Organisation standards, the rules should not stifle their work. Social activists, calling themselves `animal lovers', will be serving a noble cause by advocating humane treatment of bullocks and the abolition of `cruel' slaughtering of animals in the butcheries.

N.K. Suryanarayanan,

Bangalore

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