[Enclosure]

To the

People of Great Britain and Ireland.

Society for the Total Abolition and

Utter Suppression of Vivisection.

from

“The Echo,” Wednesday, October 8, 1879.

“The Morning Post,” Thursday, October 9, 1879.

“The Globe,” Thursday, October 9, 1879.

“Publicity is the Soul of Justice.”—Bentham.⁸

“CANON DUCKWORTH

on the

MEDICAL PROFESSION” & THE ABOLISHERS OF VIVISECTION.

“—After D^r. Dupre’s address at Westminster Hospital, the prizes were distributed to the successful candidates by Canon Duckworth,⁹ who said— “… And here, gentlemen, may I make bold to say a word in defence of the humanity of the whole Profession, in answer to those unjust aspersions which have lately been cast upon it? To read some of the fanatical vapourings of people who are agitating for the total abolition of Vivisection, one might imagine that the sole object of most youths who embrace your profession is to find indulgence for the most inhuman passions that can degrade our nature. I resent such an imputation on your behalf as a shameful libel; and I have never failed, when opportunity has been given to me, to state my firm belief that no stricter regulations than those which exist are needed to protect the lower animals from wanton cruelty at your hands. It is to me inconceivable that, from among a public which is daily enjoying the benefit of your gentleness and sympathy, daily taking advantage of your ill-remunerated and self-denying labours, that there should be formed a party so unjust to you, so ignorant of your proverbial character, and so blind to facts of every day experience.”*

*Extracted from THE TIMES Newspaper of Saturday, the 4th October, 1879.¹⁰

It is lamentable to see a Minister of Religion,—especially one holding so honourable a position as Canon Duckworth,—who, we understand, is a Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford;¹¹ Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen; and to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales,—using harsh and injurious language; exposing his own want of knowledge on a subject he expresses himself confidently and dictatorially upon; and casting unqualified censure on persons opposed to him in opinion who strive to abolish what they consider the unnecessary and unphilosophical practice of inflicting agony, disease, misery, and death, on reasoning and affectionate creatures, in the fallacious hope of greatly increasing knowledge, and preventing maladies which are Nature’s inevitable punishment for violation of her beneficent Laws.

Canon Duckworth cannot have perused the Evidence given by Physiologists before the Royal Commission, and the admissions they made in regard to themselves and in regard to others. At least, that is the most lenient and charitable view which can be taken of his conduct. He speaks of “unjust aspersions” cast upon the whole Medical Profession—of “fanatical vapourings of people who are agitating for the Total Abolition of Vivisection.” He uses the words “shameful libel”—“unjust”—“ignorant”—“blind to facts.”

In answer to this attack made by the Rev. Canon Duckworth, we beg leave to refer him, and the reflective Public, to the “Report of the Royal Commission on the Practice of subjecting Live Animals to Experiments for Scientific Purposes, &c. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.” London: Eyre & Spottiswoode. 1876. Price 4/4.¹² We cite him before the Tribunal of Conscience. We challenge the Rev. Canon to make his words good in the face of the following extracts from the above Book; for example:—

evidence

Sir William Fergusson, Bart., F.R.S., Sergeant-Surgeon to H.M. the Queen¹³

“Answer. The impression produced on my mind is that these experiments are done very frequently in a most reckless manner.

Question. In a manner that, if it were known to the public at large, would call for interference on their part?

Answer. Yes; and would bring the reputation of certain scientific men far below what it should be.”¹⁴

Dr. Emmanuel Klein, M.D., Assistant Professor of the Laboratory of the Brown Institution, &c., London.

“Question. Then for your own purpose you disregard entirely the question of the suffering of the animal in performing a painful experiment?

Answer. I do.”¹⁵

The Rev. Samuel Haughton, M.D., F.R.S., Medical Registrar of the School of Physic of Trinity College, Dublin.

Answer .... I would shrink with horror from accustoming large classes of young men to the sight of Animals under Vivisection. I believe that many of them would become cruel and hardened, and would go away and repeat these experiments recklessly, without foresight or forethought; science would gain nothing, and the world would have let loose upon it a set of young devils.”¹⁶

Dr. Henry Wentworth Acland, M.D., F.R.S., Regius Professor of Medicine in the University of Oxford, &c.

“Answer.... : There has come to be a pursuit of knowledge in this direction, just as you pursue knowledge of metals with the ordinary apparatus of a chemical laboratory.

So many persons have got to deal with these wonderful and beautiful organisms just as they deal with physical bodies that have no feeling and no consciousness.”¹⁷

Dr. John Sinclair, M.D., said he had—

“Performed Vivisection with and without anæsthetics; but more frequently with anæsthetics, as finding it more convenient.”¹⁸

Dr. John Anthony, M.D., asserted that Physiologists—

“Get the same sort of feeling as the woman is said to have who skins eels”—and that in a very short time their sense of humanity becomes blinded.¹⁹

Dr. William Rutherford, M.D., Professor of Physiology, &c., in Edinburgh University, proclaimed—

“It is wonderful! what one may do to a sheep dog without the animal making any commotion.”²⁰

Sir George Burrows, Bart., M.D., President of the Royal College of Physicians, stated—

“He thought there had been great abuses in the performance of operations and experiments on living Animals.”²¹

Perhaps the prejudice of the Rev. Canon Duckworth may estimate this undeniable testimony as to what he stigmatises as “unjust aspersions,” “fanatical vapourings,” and “shameful libels.” It is, however, but the beginning of a tale—the unfolding of the first roll—the turning of the foremost page upon this sad subject. More, much more, might be quoted to the like effect. Enough, however, has been brought forward to justify us and refute our censurer.

We will conclude with words which we published in 1874 or 1875 on this question—“Let, therefore, the humane members of a most noble Profession, whose object is the alleviation of suffering, openly discountenance such acts,—acts which tend to the dishonour of their order; to create distrust of themselves in the public mind;—as, in the language of Samuel Johnson, ‘they extinguish those sensations which give man confidence in man, and make the Physician more dreaded than disease itself.’ ”²²

SOCIETY FOR THE TOTAL ABOLITION AND UTTER SUPPRESSION OF VIVISECTION.

Honorary Secretary and Treasurer,

GEORGE R. JESSE,

Henbury, near Macclesfield, Cheshire.

from THE ECHO, Wednesday, October 8, 1879.

It would be well in future if Canon Duckworth would discourse on matters that he best understands. At all events, let him stick to divinity, and leave medical and scientific men to take care of themselves. If, however, he will go beyond his depth, and talk on matters with which he is insufficiently acquainted, he may expect such scathing rebukes as that administered to him by the Society for the Suppression of Vivisection, which will be found in our advertisement columns to-day.

from THE ECHO, Thursday, October 16, 1879.

CANON DUCKWORTH AND VIVISECTION.

to the editor of the echo.

Sir,—I have the pleasure to enclose a letter from Dr. McCormick, R.N., the companion of Parry and Ross in their Arctic and Antarctic voyages.²³ His views, as a surgeon and naturalist, on the question of vivisecting animals, will be read with interest by many persons.

I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, | George R. Jesse, | Hon^y. Sec^y., &c., Society Total Abolition of Vivisection.

Henbury, Macclesfield, Cheshire, Oct. 15.

“Ridgway Place, Wimbledon, October 12, 1879.

“My Dear Jesse,—The newspaper you kindly forwarded to me yesterday, therein directing my attention to the much to be regretted and lamentable use a clergyman like Canon Duckworth should have made of the high position he holds in our Established Church to attempt to bring the opponents of the cruel and useless, therefore wanton, system of Vivisection into unmerited obloquy when delivering the prizes at the Westminster Hospital, calls for some remarks.

“Before Canon Duckworth ventured to make use of the very strong language with which he assailed the members of an honourable and humane society, (who have most disinterestedly stood forth as the champions and defenders of the helpless and suffering portion of the animal creation against their persecutors and the unjustifiable exercise of man’s power over them for a purpose as inhuman as it is alien alike to the laws of their Great Creator and to those of man himself), he should have given us some proof of his own competency to deal with a subject so involved in difficulties as it is even to the experienced professional man; to whose province it properly belongs, rather than to the Theologian’s.