HUMANE TREATMENT OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH 117 
Sir John Hammond, F.R.S., of the Cambridge School of Agricul- 
ture, wrote of Home Office control : 
It forces us to train our young research workers efficiently. 
Prof. David Keilin, F.R.S., of the Molteno Institute, Cambridge, 
wrote : 
It compels the worker to plan and to carry out his experiments with more 
care. This greatly improves the quality of the research and is of benefit to the 
research worker himself. 
Prof. A. St. G. Huggett, F.R.S., a physiologist, wrote : 
The act of 1876 stops the frivolous but not the responsible worker. 
Dr. E. N. Willmer, F.R.S., wrote : 
I see no reason to believe that the licensing system affects the quality of 
medical research adversely. It may certainly prevent certain fields from being- 
investigated by methods which most of us would find repugnant, but other lines of 
investigation will no doubt be found for those areas, which are in any case 
small. 
I have here quite a number of letters. I don’t think you would wish 
me to burden the record with all of these, but if I might pick out the 
most interesting of these, I will hand them to the clerk. 
Mr. Roberts. Without objection. 
(The letters referred to may be found in the files of the subcom- 
mittee.) 
Mr. Roberts. Thank you, Major, for a very interesting statement. 
We greatly appreciate that a man of your many responsibilities would 
take the time out of a busy schedule to come here and give us the 
benefit of your experience and your learning in this field. 
I want to congratulate you as chairman of this subcommittee on an 
excellent statement, and I think one that will be of great value to 
the committee in its deliberations on the bill. 
I regret that not more of our members are here to hear this state- 
ment, but I can assure you that they are busy people, and that your 
statement will receive their attention and consideration. 
Mr. Hume. Thank you very much, sir. 
Might I add one thing. You asked a question of the previous 
witness about the history of our act. I think I could answer that if 
necessary. 
Mr. Roberts. I would like you to supply that. 
Mr. Hume. The act was introduced when there was very little 
experimentation on animals being done in Britain, we were just be- 
ginning in those days our experimental biology. And there was very 
little opposition. The promoters of the act were Charles Darwin and 
Lionel Playfair. On the other side there were some antivivisection- 
ists, but the essential promoters were Charles Darwin and other 
scientists. 
And there was some criticism in the House of Commons, the people 
said, you are making out that scientists are a cruel people and they 
are not, and so on, there was that sort of thing said, but there was 
no serious opposition. And the bill was passed through both Houses 
of Parliament on its first attempt, it didn’t have to be introduced 
more than once. I will submit a copy of a “Historical Note on the 
British Act of 1876 Regulating Animal Experiments.” 
