Report of the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes : with minutes and evidence and appendix / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty.

  • Great Britain. Royal Commission on Vivisection (1875)
Date:
1876
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes : with minutes and evidence and appendix / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of her Majesty. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    2680. As research is carried on into tlie more difficult parts of physiology, the investigator requires appliances of greater complexity, which are exceedingly expensive, and even if he could afford to huy them, he would have to build a place adapted for their use. 2220. Dr. Burden Sanderson was an assenting party to Dr. Playfair's Bill, having taken an active part in regard to it, in the main approving of it, and thinking it a suitable measure. 3252. Dr. Ferrier, Professor of Forensic Medicine at King's College, London, thinks that 3273. any legislation that would retard physiological research would be a discredit to the country; but that owing to the great agitation which has taken place, it is very desirable to dissociate experiments for the purpose of original research from cruelty to animals, or the law which punishes that cruelty, and that some legislation for that purpose would be desirable. Professor EoUeston of Oxford thinks we may bring the forces of society to bear 1298. upon the individuals. His impression of the English nature is that it is a law 1303. abiding nature, and that a pronunciamento on the side of carefulness would have its 1319. effect. He is himself amenable to the visits of the anatomy inspector, and does not feel in the least annoyed by them. He is of opinion that any experiments worth doing will be done in a public laboratory, and that no great inconvenience would arise from 1324. compelling all experiments to take place in a laboratory amenable to the visits of an inspector. 2319. Dr. Michael Poster, the Prselector of Physiology in Trmity College, Cambridge, is not prepared to go quite so far as Dr. Sanderson in the matter of the necessity for legislation, inasmuch as so far as his experience has gone in this country, he thinks 2321. there have been no abuses, and the humane sentiment which prevails might of itself be trusted entirely to prevent such abuses; but he would not object to measm^es which might prevent physiological experiments falling into the hands of other people of less humane sentiments if it should appear to be necessary. He does not object to legislative interference; but he does not so far agree with Dr. Sanderson as to tliink it desirable or necessary. 5381. Dr. Gamgee, Brackenbury Professor of Physiology in Owens College, Manchester, thinks that licenses might be given with great advantage if no vexatious spirit guided 5424. those who gave them. Having in view a considerable increase of great schools, he sees no objection to the establishment of some reasonable regulations for such institutions; and has no sentiment of an affront offered to himself in the pro- posal of regulations which, while they did not limit the progress of science, and the efforts of competent scientific people, should restrain the performance of operations upon living animals by incompetent persons, for no definite object, and without proper precautions. 2874. Dr. Butherford, Professor of the Institutes of Medicine and Physiology in the University of Edinburgh, says, that it might be almost a dangerous thing for the power of granting a license to be vested in the Secretary of State : that it would be better to vest it in the councils of the Boyal Society and other scientific societies, under whose jurisdiction the Inspector of Anatomy might act; and these councils might in turn be 2877. responsible to the Secretary of State. Dr. Playfair's bill, he thinks, was objectionable 2880. because it would have prohibited an experiment for the purpose of demonstration 2881. even under complete anaesthesia; and there are some minor ones which cannot well be performed under anaesthesia, such as demonstrating the action of strychnia. With these exceptions, neither Lord Henniker's bill nor Dr. Playfair's would interfere with the 2R75. proceedings of a competent and well organized school like that of the University of 2887. Edinburgh; but would have the effect of interfering with persons of a totally different description, if there should be any such, who employed themselves in such • 2897. j)ursuits. In organized schools there are securities against abuse which do not exist elsewhere, 5940. Dr. Handyside, Teacher of Anatomy in the Edinburgh School of Medicine, suggests that a system of licensing would afford the general public ample security that the practice is nowhere being carried on to any objectionable extent. He refers to the 594o. analogy of the Anatomy Act, as supporting a system of inspection. He thinks that the control should in some degree be entrusted to laymen, and proposes that justices of the peace should certify to the fitness of the persons applying for licenses, to prevent the profession being without a check. 1867. Dr. Samuel Haughton, the .Medical Ptegistrar of the School of Physic of Trinity College, Dublin, the largest school in Ireland, tells us that vivisections are strictly ] 869. prohibited, and that the opinion of the educated public in Ireland is very sensitive on the subject of vivisection for the purpose of teaching classes. As regards 1874, original research, he thinks there is a good deal of second-rate physiological