THE VIVISECTION REPORT.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sin,—The letter (communicated) on the Report of the Royal Commission on Vivisection is very disappointing as being the only notice taken of the matter by the Spectator, a paper which has hitherto given the subject the moral support of earnest and serious consideration. The " communication " reads like jottings on the report from the pen of one who had
made up his mind on the subject before reading it, winding
up an ungrateful task with a cheerful sense of relief, as saying- " There, that is done ; now let us think of the coal strike, or the relation of capital to labour, or something sensible." May we not look for an article in your columns on this subject ? Surely a practice involving so much suffering, and calling for a Royal Commission lasting so long and so laborious, calls for more adequate comment. We want the Spectator's own views on the report.
Nevertheless we feel much encouraged by the "communica- tion," for it makes known to your readers that, although the Commissioners decide "that experiments upon animals adequately safeguarded by law faithfully administered are morally justifiable and should not be prohibited by legislation," yet they recommend doubling the inspectors, killing animals left in pain after experiments, restricting the use of curare, making a change in the advisory body to the Home Office, and restriction in the case of animals found to be in obvious suffering. All that is excellent, and shows that the Anti-vivi- section Society has gained some points, and one point of inestimable value. The Royal Commission "recommend," we repeat, "that animals found to be in obvious suffering after an experiment must be killed, even though the object of the experiment has not been attained."—I am, Sir, Sm., N. E. N.
[We are perfectly willing to give our views on the Report of the Commission. We hold it to be a sane, reasonable, and humane report, both in the general principle which it adopts and in the special and additional safeguards which it recent- mends. We cannot open our columns to any further letters on the subject.—En. Spectator.]
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