INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST 

 EDITION 



HIS work by Mr Paget is entirely a labour 



of love. Not being himself engaged in re- 

 searches involving experiments upon the lower 

 animals, he is not directly interested in the subject. 

 But, in his official capacity as Secretary to the 

 Association for the Advancement of Medicine by 

 Research, he has become widely conversant with 

 such investigations, and has been deeply impressed 

 with the greatness of the benefits which they have 

 conferred upon mankind, and the grievous mistake 

 that is made by those who desire to suppress them. 



The action of these well-meaning persons is 

 based upon ignorance. They allow that man is 

 permitted to inflict pain upon the lower animals 

 when some substantial advantage is to be gained ; 

 but they deny that any good has ever resulted from 

 the researches which they condemn. 



How far such statements are from the truth will 

 be evident to those who peruse this book. Its 

 earlier pages deal with Physiology, the main basis 

 of all sound medicine and surgery. The examples 



XI 



