EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
713 
discontinuance. In undertaking this duty it felt that it had 
not to deal with an abstract question of cruelty, but with 
one which had the support of many eminent men of science, 
on the ground of its usefulness in acquiring a correct know¬ 
ledge both of surgery and the treatment of disease in general. 
Steady perseverance in a righteous cause is, however, sure 
to be rewarded in due time by success, and such has been the 
experience of the society in this undertaking. 
In our May number we recorded that a deputation had 
a second time gone to Paris, and been admitted to an 
audience with the Emperor, and received from His Imperial 
Majesty an assurance that an inquiry should be instituted, 
without prejudging the scientific part of the question. 
Faithful to his promise, this has been done, and we, in 
common with many friends of humanity, await the result 
with anxiety ; but nevertheless with full confidence in the 
integrity, wisdom, and benevolence of the commission which 
has been appointed. 
We earnestly plead for the total abolition of all repe¬ 
titions of experiments on living animals, for such hitherto 
have disgraced the science of medicine. We are well aware 
that from time to time important physiological questions 
will arise, that bear directly on the art of healing and the 
prevention of suffering, both in man and the inferior creatures, 
and which will necessarily require the infliction of pain on a 
living animal for their correct elucidation ; but even this— 
legitimate as it may be—must be kept within proper bounds, 
or the enthusiasm of many will lead them from acts of 
necessity to the performance of those akin to wanton cruelty. 
In making these remarks we but echo the sentiments of 
every true friend of science, and we rejoice to observe that 
so able an exponent of these views as the Lancet can be 
found. This will appear from the following article, which 
we venture to extract in full from its pages, although the 
w'riter finds rather more excuses for the practice than we 
could wish to have seen. 
“ THE ETHICS OF VIVISECTION. 
“ The Parisian mission of the London Society for the 
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has already brought forth 
