20151130 ( lab rabbits)

I think there’s something wrong 

With my rabbit Dr Gormezano

Indiana University’s Department

Of Psychology was known in the

Biz as a rat school forgotten the 

Opposite couch school head school 

Probably just non-rat school

In short they were heavy into

Lab research with animals of

Which in my brief stay varied

Among mice rats rabbits only 

The students in neurological

Studies worked with anything

As anthropomorphic as chimps

Although they were more into

Experiment slice and dice 

Test extract tissue freeze

Microtome microscope publish

The psychological approach of

Rat schools presumed no sacrifice

Except if the voltage applied to

Cage grids got out of hand 

Which would get you fired

In the mid ‘sixties Dr Gormezano

Was still examining aspects of 

Pavlovian conditioning through

Use of the conditioned response

Of rabbits’ nictitating membrane

A horizontally sliding translucent

Second eyelid which quickly

Protected a rabbit’s eye when it

Sensed movement or danger

He sewed a line through the

Insensate eyelid attached it to a

Recorder conditioned the reflexive 

Response with a puff to a tone

Place the subject in the restraint 

Very carefully before closing

The clamp over the hind quarters 

If your subject kicks he will break his

Back and have to be euthanized

I watched as carefully as possible

Noted how gently I was to fold

The hind legs into the restraint

Yet when the time came to close

The clamp on the back my rabbit

Kicked broke his back and

Bought his long sleep all the

Other students nested their bunnies 

Successfully see the first 

Lines above for my report 

Gormezano disappointed

To have to waste an animal he

Was known among the grad

Students as Face because of his

Head’s prominence I could tell

This was another sign I was in

The wrong place would be forever

Forbidden animals for research

Manista you will work with

Margaret to complete this lab

Unfortunately I was still required 

To pierce the right nictitating 

Membrane thread a line through

The left already having been 

Hooked by my partner

I vowed if I ever achieved 

Professional stature I would 

Tell Face to his face anybody 

Studying Pavlovian conditioning

As late as the mid ‘sixties was

Torturing animals and 

Locked in the past

c. J.S.Manista, 2015