xii INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION 



given in this department are not numerous ; they 

 are, however, sufficiently striking, as indications 

 that, from the discovery of the circulation of the 

 blood onwards, our knowledge of healthy animal 

 function has been mainly derived from experiments 

 on animals. 



The chief bulk of the work is devoted to the 

 class of investigations which are most frequent at 

 the present day ; and it shows what a flood of 

 light has been already thrown by Bacteriology upon 

 the nature of human disease and the means of 

 combating it. 



The chapter on the Action of Drugs will be to 

 many a startling disclosure of the gross ignorance 

 that prevailed among physicians even in the earlier 

 part of last century. The great revolution that 

 has since taken place is no doubt largely due to 

 advances in sciences other than Biology, especially 

 Chemistry. But it could not have attained its 

 present proportions without the ever-increasing 

 knowledge of Physiology, based on experiments 

 on animals ; and Mr Paget shows how large a 

 share these have had in the direct investigation 

 of articles of the Materia Medica. 



The concluding part of the volume discusses the 

 restrictions which have been placed by the legis- 

 lature in this country on those engaged in these 

 researches, with the view of obviating possible 

 abuse. Whether the Act in question has been 

 really useful, whether it has not done more harm 

 than good, by hampering and sometimes entirely 



