Saving Molly: A Research Veterinarian's Choices [Hardcover]

James Mahoney D.V.M. Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1998

With an introduction by Roger A. Caras, president of the ASPCA. The puppy was dying when James Mahoney found her. Molly was not the first dying animal the research veterinarian had seen. But Molly's struggle sent him barreling over rough Jamaican mountains in a borrowed car, searching for the equipment he'd need to save her. More than a story about a dog, this is the story of a rescued man. He asks himself questions: How can he spend his days with chimpanzees locked behind bars and still say that he loves them? What do we owe them for their participation in AIDS research? Why is saving a single runt puppy important? In the tradition of James Herriot, Mahoney's story spans fifty years of living with animals and with the two-legged primates who study them. Written by the man Jane Goodall called "one of the most gentle and compassionate people I know," SAVING MOLLY is an important addition to the debate on animal research and a heartfelt meditation on one man's life. "He is concerned about the pain and the suffering of the animals. That's what makes Jim Mahoney different."--Alex Pacheco founder of PETA.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"This is the story of a brave little dog by the name of Molly--a bush dog, blind in one eye, and poor-sighted in the other." So begins Saving Molly, research veterinarian James Mahoney's introspective book about his pets and his work with lab-test animals. While on vacation in Jamaica, Mahoney stumbles upon a very sick puppy and nurses her back to health. He goes to great lengths to save Molly's life, driving for hours in search of scarce medical supplies, staying up all night to feed and medicate the forlorn creature. This experience prompts Mahoney to review his life as a pet owner, animal lover, and a man who decides which monkeys at the lab get assigned to experiments. For many years Mahoney worked with monkeys involved in AIDS and hepatitis research at New York University's Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates, also known as LEMSIP. In this book, he grapples with the difficult questions raised by his work: How can a person who loves animals subject them to the stress and pain of experimentation? After a lab animal has endured many experiments, doesn't humanity owe it a nice retirement? Which tests are justifiable, and which are not? Mahoney believes that although people do not have a right to test on animals, it is necessary, and since it is something that needs to be done, it should be done with compassion. Mahoney describes his efforts to improve living conditions for lab animals. Mostly, though, this book stays away from the lab and doesn't dwell on the details of the experiments. Instead, Mahoney focuses on happier things. He contemplates his relationships with several of the lab's chimpanzees, describing their distinct personalities. He recalls times when he saved lives and took needy animals into his own home. Mahoney clearly loves animals and derives great satisfaction from his work as a healer. This book is a thoughtful account of his struggle to make sense of his life and his work. --Jill Marquis

From Publishers Weekly

"I have never seen myself as a spokesman for animal research," Mahoney writes in the prologue to this searching life snapshot. "My mission, as I see it, is to encourage a gentler, more compassionate approach towards animals in the laboratory." Mahoney is a London-born research veterinarian who works with primates to find cures for human diseases like AIDS. His Laboratory for Experimental Medicine and Surgery in Primates (LEMSIP) in New York tries to treat the animals in its care as humanely as possible?a practice, Mahoney allows, that sets it apart from many labs. Mahoney reflects on the trials and tribulations of lab life during the period he and his wife cared for Molly, "a dog of modest origins" they came across on vacation in Jamaica and adopted. Molly was extremely ill, practically blind in one eye, anemic and at one point seemed possibly brain damaged. Mahoney and his wife nurtured the pup as one would a sick infant, around the clock, often taking her to bed. In telling the story of Molly's miraculous recovery, Mahoney draws parallels between her plight and that of lab animals, both those in his care (to whom he becomes heartbreakingly attached) and elsewhere. His candid reflections reveal, as noted by ASPCA president Caras, his courage and compassion in the face of thorny ethical conflict: namely, whether the lives of animals should be sacrificed, in quality or in quantity, in order to better our own. (July) FYI: National Geographic Discovery has produced a documentary on LEMSIP, which shut down soon after this book was completed, that airs on the TBS network August
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 234 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1st edition (January 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565121732
• ISBN-13: 978-1565121737
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,650 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solution to Paradox: Limbo?, April 12, 2004

By 

Julie Lyn (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Molly: A Research Veterinarian's Choices (Hardcover)

I used to be completely against animal experimentation. I even refused to perform required disections in high school biology, and suffered the reduction in my scores because of it. How can someone, anyone, claim on the one hand to love animals and on the other deliver them into harm? I picked up this book in the waiting room of my dentist's office, and wound up reading it in a day. I am still not in favor of animal experimentation, but I am not the opponent that I used to be, either.
The paradox of love vs. harm has left many a person feeling bereft, defenseless and searching for a clear answer. Mahoney's answer is, if not exactingly clear, at least very understandable. We cannot help but feel empathy towards those whom we love, and we shouldn't try to shut off or deny those feelings. But in the resulting flood of emotions - some positive, others not - trade out your sense of guilt (which can only be destructive) for one of responsability. Keep in mind that you are the steward of other lives, not the owner. Be compassionate.
His thoughtful journey has so many applications for anyone who feels themselves to be in this predicament. For example, "Do I put my parent in a nursing home?" or "Should I keep my loved one on artificial life support?" Mahony understands this kind of pain, and has done his best to discover and explain, through the story of Molly, what balance there is. Some day, we will not need to use animals - human or otherwise - for experimentation. But that day is a long way off. Until then, we learn to move forward as kindly and thoughtfully as we can. I recommend this book to all adults (it may be too powerful for younger readers) especially those grappling with these kind of questions in their career choice or personal relationships.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very important and touching book. Read it!, November 25, 2000

By 

north and south "north and south" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Molly: A Research Veterinarian's Choices (Hardcover)

I have read and re-read this book. Everytime, Dr.Mahoney's sincere account of his life with Molly and the chimps , his love for the fellow creatures and his agony over some of the hard choices he made, move me. This is a must read for everybody who wants to understand the meaning of love and understanding between human and animals.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Asking the hard questions, November 24, 2003

By 

Sarah Kincaid (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Molly: A Research Veterinarian's Choices (Hardcover)

I read this book because I hoped to gain some insight into how researchers justify using live animals as test subjects. I didn't gain any answers here. Dr. Mahoney is just as conflicted as I am about which should have paramount importance: the need to end human suffering through research breakthroughs, or the sanctity of animal life. Contrasted with disturbing stories of memorable chimpanzees who unwillingly sacrificed their freedom and their lives in the human quest to end AIDS and hepatitis, is the remarkable story of Dr. Mahoney's heroic efforts to save a desperately sick puppy. What makes one animal's life of more importance to us than another's? Dr. Mahoney provides no easy answers, but he challenges all of us by asking the hard questions. Even so, he makes several mentions of meals containing meat, and even a trip to MacDonald's for little Molly, without even touching upon the exploitation of animals for food, who perhaps suffer an even more miserable fate than research animals. But all in all, this is a well-written book that leaves the reader with much to think about.