160 
VIVISECTIONS. 
years to this subject, and published various works upon it, we considered the 
most competent to be found for such an opinion, and we find that Mr. 
Macilwain has been enabled, by a reference to the works of the principal 
authorities, quoted in that report as favorable to this practice, to prove the 
reverse to be the fact. 
“ The name of Sir Charles Bell, for instance, is the first noticed in this 
report, to whose experiments, it states, we are indebted for many valuable 
discoveries, subsequently confirmed by Magendie, Muller, Valentin, Longet, 
&c. The quotations from the works of Sir Charles Bell prove, however, 
that so far from vivisectional operations being, in his opinion, advantageous, 
£ he found that on the animals he operated upon being put to death, he was 
better enabled to conduct his experiments, not from consideration for the 
sufferings of the animal, but because its sensations under such suffering ob¬ 
scured his reasoning, and detracted from the effect of his demonstrations. 
That such experiments had never been the means of discovery. That the 
opening of living animals had done more to perpetuate error than to enforce 
just views. That in a foreign review of his papers he had been considered 
as being in favour of vivisection, whereas those papers had reference to 
deductions from anatomical, not vivisectional experiments.’ 
“ Longet, another authority, quoted as favorable to this practice, appears, 
on reference to his works, to be still more opposed to it than Sir Charles 
Bell. This reference affords at the same time a remarkable illustration of 
the interminable conflicts as to the different results arrived at by different 
vivisectors, and in regard to Magendie, one of the most celebrated, Longet 
states that the importance he attached to certain alleged discoveries of his 
by means of that practice, ‘ were purely imaginary? That Longet’s own 
opinions were, 1 That experiments on animals of a different species, so far 
from leading to useful results as regarded human beings, had a tendency to 
mislead, as, in seeking benefits to mankind, it was necessary to have recourse 
to pathological facts founded on experiments on human beings.’ 
“We must confess that we are at a loss to know how these opinions would 
justify conclusions in favour of this practice, on the ground of its assumed 
advantages to human beings, and such hypothetical doctrines as those com¬ 
prised in the passages quoted from this report, ‘That if the fact could be 
established as to this practice having rendered service of ever so trifling a 
nature, it should be defended on the probability of ulterior service as well,’ 
and that, £ If the question were propounded thus before an assembly of phy¬ 
siologists, it would excite nothing more than an incredulous smile.’ 
“On this portion of the report, Professor Owen, one of the first physiolo¬ 
gical authorities of the present day, observed that, admitting such advantages 
to have been attained, instead of exciting a smile, an attempt to show the use¬ 
fulness of vivisection in the advancement of physiology would rather excite 
regret, from the known neutralizing consequences of attempts at absolute 
prohibition. 
“ On the repetition of such practices for the instruction of pupils, this 
eminent authority also observed, ‘That no teacher of physiology is justified 
in repeating any vivisectional experiments merely to show its known results 
to his class or to others, that it was against abuses of this nature that hu¬ 
manity, Christianity, and civilization should alike protest.’ 
“To protest, as thus recommended, against such abuses, the friends of 
humanity, Christianity, and civilization have found useless, without power 
by law to put a stop to them. With such power, a favorable decision could 
be easily obtained before any tribunal, even an assembly of physiologists, on 
the case, as laid in these two extracts, had an advocate been allowed to plead 
for dumb animals, as in cases of human beings, who, in Erance and this 
country, cannot be punished without a fair trial. But this is not the case 
