502 
[August : 
The Present State of the 
that the enormous concessions made are accepted as final, 
and that the odious misrepresentations have been withdrawn. 
According to the Report for 1878 of the Inspector under the 
Vivisection ACt, only ten licenses have been applied for in 
Ireland ; only five of these have been aCted on, and “ no 
pain has been inflicted even in one of the twenty-four expe- 
riments performed.” For all this the “ Irish Anti-ViviseCtion 
Society ” still exists and continues its labours ! Indeed it 
seems to us that since the passing of the ACt 39 and 40 Vi 61 . 
the agitation has become even more unscrupulous in its 
character. We know that the most questionable means 
have been used to obtain signatures to the petitions for the 
abolition of vivisection. Persons, children included, who 
have never given the subject a moment’s thought, and who 
scarcely know what “ vivisection ” means, are besieged to 
“just sign their names,” and for the sake of quietness they 
often consent. We know a young lady, the daughter of an 
eminent artist, who, whilst copying a picture in one of our 
public art-galleries, was accosted by two strange ladies, who 
pressed very hard for her signature, and when she declined, 
on the rational ground that she was totally ignorant of the 
matter, went off quite exasperated. Is it likely that she 
was the only young student thus solicited ? Perhaps if 
Prof. Zollner were aware of the manner in which agitations 
are got up and conducted in England, he would lay much 
less weight on the number of signatures to the petitions 
against vivisection. 
At one time it was contended by the anti-viviseCtionists 
that Harvey’s great discovery was not due to experiments 
upon living animals. Finding that position untenable, they 
now seek to throw discredit upon Harvey, and insinuate 
that he had been anticipated by Servetus. We have seen 
this charge against our great English physiologist stated in 
an advertisement which, if not carefully read, may lead to 
the belief that Sir W. W. Gull, M.D., F.R.S., and other 
heads of the profession, are connected with the Anti-vivi- 
seCtion agitation. 
It must be distinctly understood, however, that the rival 
societies for the suppression of research — bodies not too 
amicable among themselves — have not succeeded in bringing 
forward any cogent or novel arguments on their side, or in 
meeting those advanced by the defenders of research. The 
great charge of inconsistency brought against the agitators* 
has never been met. A peer of the realm did, indeed, 
* See Quarterly Journal of Science, vi. (1876), p. 318. 
