1 875.] VIVISECTION. 207 



C. Darwin to the Editor of the ' Times! 



Sir, — I do not wish to discuss the views expressed by 

 Miss Cobbe in the letter which appeared in the Times of the 

 19th inst. ; but as she asserts that I have "misinformed" my 

 correspondent in Sweden in saying that "the investigation of 

 the matter by a Royal Commission proved that the accu- 

 sations made against our English physiologists were false," 

 I will merely ask leave to refer to some other sentences 

 from the report of the Commission. 



(1.) The sentence — " It is not to be doubted that in- 

 humanity may be found in persons of very high position as 

 physiologists," which Miss Cobbe quotes from page 17 of the 

 report, and which, in her opinion, "can necessarily concern 

 English physiologists alone and not foreigners," is imme- 

 diately followed by the words " We have seen that it was so 

 in Majendie." Majendie was a French physiologist who 

 became notorious some half century ago for his cruel 

 experiments on living animals. 



(2.) The Commissioners, after speaking of the "general 

 sentiment of humanity " prevailing in this country, say 

 (p. 10) :— 



"This principle is accepted generally by the very highly 

 educated men whose lives are devoted either to scientific 

 investigation and education or to the mitigation or the 

 removal of the sufferings of their fellow-creatures ; though 

 differences of degree in regard to its practical application 

 will be easily discernible by those who study the evidence as 

 it has been laid before us." 



Again, according to the Commissioners (p. 10) : — 



" The secretary of the Royal Society for the Prevention of 

 Cruelty to Animals, when asked whether the general tendency 

 of the scientific world in this country is at variance with 

 humanity, says he believes it to be very different, indeed, 

 from that of foreign physiologists ; and while giving it as the 



