Lord Carnarvon introduced on Monday in the House of Lords
the Vivisection Bill of the Government, which is entitled, "An Act to Prevent Cruel Experiments on Animals," and which is, we believe, to be read a second time on Monday next. It appears to us a very good one. Experiments "calculated to give pain" must he performed only in registered places, by persons holding a license from the Secretary of State, and as a rule, "tinder the influence of some ancesthetio of sufficient power to prevent the animal from feeling pain," and "if the pain is likely to continue after the effect of the anmsthetic has ceased, or if any serious injury has been inflicted on the animal," the creature must be killed before the effect of the ans3sthetic goes off. The only exception to the prohibition of " demonstrational " experiments is in the case of experiments properly certified to be "absolutely necessary" for the instruction of the students, "with a view to their acquiring knowledge which will be useful to them for saving or prolonging human life or alleviating human suffering," and even
then the antesthetic state must be completely secured. Wherever the object of an experiment intended for purposes of research, cannot be attained without giving some pain to the animal, -a special certificate to that effect is to be required from an ade- quate scientific authority, and under -that condition the animal may be allowed to live till the object of the experiment is attained. An accurate report of the details of these experiments is to be made to the Secretary of State, in such form as he re- quires ; he is to appoint general or special inspectors of the registered places where these experiments are allowed ; and the license may be revoked when he thinks fit. Dogs and cabs are to be exempted from all such experiments, and the use of curari as an ananthetic is prohibited. On the whole, the Bill appears to us admirably drawn, and of a character to keep scientific experiments on living creatures well within the control of the State, and within the bounds dictated by humanity.
