Research Defence Society

The Research Defence Society (RDS) was "founded in 1908 under the Presidency of Lord Cromer to make generally known the value and necessity of experiments on animals, the restrictions imposed upon them by the Act of 1876 and the great saving of human and animal lives already obtained by means of such experiments." (RDS Memorandum, E/1/6/11) Paton was Chairman of the RDS from 1972-77, a period in which the conduct of animal experimentation was much debated, reviewed by Parliament, and the anti-vivisection lobby gained considerable popular support. Under Paton's chairmanship, the RDS actively campaigned to defend the value and necessity of experimentation with animals in the face of public challenge. The papers gathered vividly document the 'campaign' waged, a campaign that was to provide the context and the spur for Paton's subsequent 'Man and Mouse' (1984).

1955-1993

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