384 MISCELLANEA. [1881. 



Times of April 22, 1881. On the same day he wrote to Mr. 

 'Romanes : 



" As I have a fair opportunity, I sent a letter to the Times 

 on Vivisection, which is printed to-day. I thought it fair to 

 bear my share of the abuse poured in so atrocious a manner 

 on all physiologists."] 



C. .Darwin to the Editor of the Times. 



SIR, I dp not wish to discuss the views expressed by 

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

 i pth 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. 



(i.) 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 immediate- 

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

 Magendie." Magendie 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) ; 



