e past twenty years, unless in the way of
ridicule or contempt? It may be doubted.

"The atrocities of vivisection continue to occupy the attention of the
Paris papers. The Opinion Nationale says: `The poor brutes' cries of
pain sadden the wards of the clinic, rendering the sojourn there
insupportable both to patients and nurses. Only imagine that, when a
dog has not been killed at one sitting, and that enough life remains
in him to experiment upon him in the following one, they put him back
in the kennel, all throbbing and palpitating! There the unhappy
creatures, already torn by the scalpel, howl until the next day, in
tones rendered hoarse and faint by another operation intended to
deprive them of voice.'"

Again, only three weeks later, in its issue of September 19, 1863, the
British Medical Journal presents in an editorial an account of the
debate on Vivisection in the French Academy of Medicine. It is of
interest, not only as an indication of English opinion at that day,
but also as evidence of what was being done by vivisectors over
fifteen years after the discovery of chloroform.

"Our readers are aware that the French Minister of Commerce submitted
to the Academy of Medicine documents supplied to him by a London
society.... A committee of the Academy examined these questions and
issued a report, but they did not answer the simple questions put to
it. A discussion on the report has naturally taken place in the
Academy itself, and has given rise to some very interesting remarks.
M. Dubois ... refused to draw up the report because he differed
somewhat in opinion on the subject of vivisections from many of his
associates. He therefore reserved the liberty of speaking his mind
freely on the subject before the Academy. His conclusions are well
worthy serious attention. They seem to us to contain all that can be
rightly said in favour of vivisection, and to put the matter on its
true and proper footing. The greatest praise is due to M. Dubois for
having had the courage to express his opinion so boldly and openly....

"In the first part of his speech, M. Dubois demolished the work of the
report, showing that it did not answer the questions of the
Government, and left things exactly in their previous state. He then
proceeded to give his opinion as to what reforms should be made in the
practice of vivisection. The greatest physiologists, he remarked,
such as Harvey, Asselli, Haller, were parsimonious and di