To R. B. Litchfield 24 April [1875]1
Down | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.
April 24th
My dear Litchfield
I have seen Sir John, who thinks L. Playfair wd be best man to present petition.2
Sir J. read our bill & he thinks it very important for physiology that the first impression given by it shd be on the humanity side, & suggested some such title as “an Act to restrict vivisection (or experiments on animals) (excepting under due conditions) or something of this kind.— Also in the preamble he thought it wd. be much the best to begin with “it is expedient that all useless suffering by animals shd be saved; nevertheless it is for the public advantage &c &c.3 These were not his words but his sense.— He is a very sharp man, & this suggestion may be worth your considering—
He thought the bill a far more important & useful step than the petition.— He doubted any use in the latter & I am inclined to agree. But on the other hand, regarding humanity, I cannot but think that the more the subject is stirred up on all sides the better.4
Yours affect, | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Summary
Sir John Lubbock’s advice on draft of petition on vivisection. Agrees with Lubbock’s opinion that a bill would be more effective – but the more the subject is stirred up, the better.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9946
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Richard Buckley Litchfield
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- The British Library (Add MS 58373)
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9946,” accessed on 14 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9946.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 23
