VIVISECTION.

Return to an Address of the House of Lords, dated 9th July, 1875, for Copy of the Royal Commission on Vivisection.

VICTORIA, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Queen, Defender of the Faith. To Our right trusty and well-beloved cousin and councillor Edward Viscount Cardwell, Our right trusty and well-beloved councillor John Baron Winmarleigh, Our right trusty and well-beloved councillor William Edward Forster, Our trusty and well-beloved Sir John Burgess Karslake, knight, Our trusty and well-beloved Thomas Henry Huxley, esquire, professor of natural history in the Royal School of Mines, Our trusty and well-beloved John Eric Erichsen, and Our trusty and well-beloved Richard Holt Hutton, esquire, greeting.

Whereas We have deemed it expedient that a Commission should issue to inquire into the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes, and to consider and report what measures, if any, it may be desirable to take in respect of any such practice.

Now know ye, that We, reposing great trust and confidence in your zeal, ability, and discretion, have authorised and appointed, and do by these presents authorise and appoint you, the said Edward Viscount Cardwell, John Baron Winmarleigh, William Edward Forster, Sir John Burgess Karslake, Thomas Henry Huxley, John Eric Erichsen, and Richard Holt Hutton, to be Our Commissioners for the purposes aforesaid.

And for the better enabling you to fulfil the objects of this Our Commission, We do by these presents give and grant unto you, or any three or more of you, full power to call before you, or any three or more of you, such persons as you shall judge necessary, by whom you may be the better informed on the subjects herein submitted for your consideration, and every matter connected therewith, and also to call for, have access to, and examine all such books, docu

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ments, and papers as may afford the fullest information on the subject, and to inquire of and concerning the premises by all other lawful ways and means whatsoever.

And Our further will and pleasure is that you, or any five or more of you, do with all convenient speed report to Us, under your hands and seals, your opinion upon the matters herein submitted for your consideration.

And We do further will and command, and by these presents ordain, that this Our Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and that you Our said Commissioners, or any three or more of you, may from time to time proceed in the execution thereof, and of every matter and thing therein contained, although the same be not continued from time to time by adjournment.

And for your assistance in the execution of these presents, We have made choice of Our trusty and well-beloved Nathaniel Baker, esquire, barrister-at-law, to be secretary to this our Commission, whose services and assistance We require you to use as occasion may require.

Given at Our court at Saint James's, the twenty-second day of June 1875, in the thirty-ninth year of Our reign.

By Her Majesty's Command.

(Countersigned) RICHD. ASSHETON CROSS.

Ordered to be printed 13th July, 1875.

VIVISECTION.

FIRST DAY'S EVIDENCE.

NOVEMBER 1ST, 1875.

Present:-
:-

The Right Hon. VISCOUNT CARDWELL, in the Chair.

The Right Hon. LORD WINMARLEIGH.

Sir J. B. KARSLAKE, M.P.

THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY, Esq.

JOHN ERIC ERICHSEN, Esq.

RICHARD HOLT HUTTON, Esq.

N. BAKER, Esq., Secretary.

Mr. GEORGE RICHARD JESSE called in
and examined.

4435. The Chairman: Are you in any profession?— I am retired from one.

4436. Will you have the kindness to tell us what it was?-Railway Engineer.

4437. I think you are the Honorary Secretary of the Society for the Abolition of Vivisection ?—Yes.

4438. Are you prepared to make a statement to this Commission on behalf of that Society?—I am.

4439. Will you have the goodness to do so?-As already stated in a letter to this Commission, I appear at its request, not as a medical or scientific witness.

B

My opinion as to vivisection has been arrived at by intimacy and close friendship with animals, the perusal of books written by vivisectors, and conversation with medical and other men, some of whom have witnessed the torture of animals for so termed scientific objects. I am, on the part of the Society for the Abolition of Vivisection, prepared to amply and fully establish that the cruelties of vivisectors are not surpassed by any recorded in the history of mankind. I am prepared to establish that by furnishing extracts from the books written by those men themselves. I wish also to produce correspondence between some of those men and our Association; moreover, extracts from the life of the late Dr. John Reid of St. Andrews, and the life of Sir Astley Cooper. That these practices are becoming a moral ulcer, that they tend to demoralise mankind, and are by education vitiating the minds of the young, I wish to prove by the above and other works, and by reading extracts from Youatt's 'Humanity to Brutes,' (the famous veterinary surgeon,) Dr. Elliotson's 'Human Physiology,' Lockhart's 'Life of Sir Walter Scott,' Drummond's Rights of Animals,' Dr. Ferrier's experiments, Dr. Bennett's experiments, and other books, including 'Elementary Lessons in Physiology,' 'The Quarterly Review' for 1849, and also by publications of the Society for the Abolition of Vivisection. The Society for the Abolition of Vivisection-which contains many professional men amongst its members, peers, professors, officers in Her Majesty's service, and others wishes to make known through this Commission to the People of England the deeds that have been done, and the opposition to the exposure of them it has

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met with from the unfair conduct of the 'Times,' the 'Standard,' and the 'Pall Mall Gazette.'

4440. Can you put in a list of the members of the Society? Not at this moment.

4441. But you can send one to the secretary, I presume?—I could not quite pledge myself to that, because there are some who are members and who would not like their names to be known.

4442. We only wish it to be understood by us correctly whether you are prepared to send in a list or not. I understand that you are not?—No, excuse me, that would be an erroneous impression. I am prepared to send in a list of the people who have given their names to the Association, and which comprises by very far the greater number of its members. I am prepared to give that, but, of course, I cannot in honour give the names of men who wish their names to be private. If you like, I will apply to those men also.

4443. Will you have the goodness to proceed with your statement ?-This is one of the first that comes to hand. "The British Medical Journal,' December 5, 1874: Report of the Committee of the British 'Medical Association to investigate the antagonism of 'medicines, by John Hughes Bennett, M.D., F.R.S.E.,

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Chairman and Reporter.' I should only take up time, I think, unnecessarily, by reading a great deal of this. I will come to the part, if you will allow me, which is most cogent to the point. 'Experiment 473. A male cat, weighing 4 lbs. 9 ozs., had 6 grains of 'theine injected under the skin of the back. For five 'minutes nothing was observed. At the end of this period it began to move backwards and forwards, and