290 MISCELLANEA. [Ch. XV. 



Pasteur's results in modifying the germs of the most malignant 

 diseases, from which, as it happens, animals will in the first 

 place receive more relief than man. Let it be remembered 

 how many lives and what a fearful amount of suffering have 

 been saved by the knowledge gained of parasitic worms through 

 the experiments of Virchow and others on living animals. In 

 the future every one will be astonished at the ingratitude 

 shown, at least in England, to these benefactors of mankind. 

 As for myself, permit me to assure you that I honour, and shall 

 always honour, every one who advances the noble science of 

 physiology. 



Dear Sir, yours faithfully. 



In the Times of the following day appeared a letter headed 

 " Mr. Darwin and Vivisection," signed by Miss Frances Power 

 Cobbe. To this my father replied in the Times of April 22, 

 1881. On the same day he wrote to Mr. Komanes : — 



" 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. D. to the Editor of the * Times.' 



Sib, — 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 corre- 

 spondent in Sweden in saying that " the investigation of tho 

 matter by a Koyal Commission proved that the accusations 

 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 inhumanity 

 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 immediately 

 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 



