Plea for mercy to animals / by James Macauley.

  • Macaulay, James, 1817-1902.
Date:
[1875]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Plea for mercy to animals / by James Macauley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    honest indignation of great-hearted Samuel Johnson. Sad it is that his words should be applicable at all in our days, though we have certainly advanced both in science and humanity. Enough has been said to show the existence and the extent of this evil. The question remains, what ought to be done ? Any appeal to vivisectors themselves would be in vain. The better sort of them, who are influenced by scientiflc zeal, no doubt hope that they may succeed in researches which have baffled their predecessors. The lower class of operators are too hardened to listen to any remonstrance. What can we expect from men, of one of whom we read this : “ An English student having quitted a German physiological laboratory, unable to bear its horrors, the professor remarked that ‘ he never found Englishmen who would stop with him, and he supposed (with a sneer) that they thought God would make them suffer the same as the animals.’ ” An English surgeon, visiting a Erench laboratory, describes the conduct of the students, in mimicking the cries and moans of the tortured animals in derision, as so revolting, that he quitted the place in disgust. I myself wit- nessed this “ tiger-monkey” spirit in Magendie’s class. We have not reached that depth in England yet, and we must not risk our schools of medicine being degraded to the continental level. An appeal can more hopefully be made to the medical pro- fession at large, the majority of whom acquired their know- ledge before these cruel practices were introduced into our schools of physiology. The number of distinguished men who have recently signed a protest and memorial on the subject, proves that a strong feeling pervades the profession as to the scandal of the present state of things. Some united and official action ought to be taken, so as at least to condemn the abuses of the system. In Ireland this has been partially done. The