EXPERIMENTS ON ANIMALS.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—You do not seem to me quite to realise the position of anti-vivisectionists with regard to experiments on animals. While we consider that much absolutely unnecessary cruelty has been inflicted in inoculating animals with horrible diseases in the interests of what is called "preventive medicine," it is not this class of experiment to which we chiefly object. I would refer to those experiments, of which so many instances may be found in the Journal of Physiology, where animals are deliberately submitted to exquisite and prolonged tortures for the sake of ascertaining certain facts, or observing certain phenomena. I do not think it is going too far to say that the science of physiology, as at present practised, may be described as the science of inflicting the greatest possible agonies on sentient beings, and for the longest possible period. It seems to me natural that those who do such things, and sin against their own souls in doing them, should, in many cases, feel no scruple in trying the like experiments on human beings, if they think they can do so with impunity. As to what you say about rats, I have a difficulty in seeing how sanitary measures resembling compulsory vaccination can be enforced on them.
• —I am, Sir, &c.,
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