VIVISECTION AND THE LOWER ANIMALS.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—There is one point in connection with the sufferings of animals subjected to vivisection which may be viewed in yet another light. It has been stated and repeated, as you remark, that frogs do not suffer pain as we count pain, and animals stilt lower in the nervous scale (such as snails) can scarcely be said to suffer at all, their capacity for feeling being so small. But the significant matter is that they may suffer to the extent of their capacity, which to their limited sense means dreadful torment. In your article on " Sirius and his System," last week, you refer to the possible, and even probable, existence of beings inhabiting "a system of higher rank in Creation than our Sun and other similar orbs." Such beings might naturally have sensibilities vastly surpassing ours, and might be imagined as profiting by vivisecting (say, mentally or morally) such insects as men. The apologists of such vivisection might suggest that " the horrors and agonies of these creatures are really trivial, for the structure of their nervous system is only that of the vertebrate type," &c. In this case we should esteem the consideration most important that " these little things are great to little men," and so it is in- cumbent on man, whilst recognising the necessity of vivisection, to hedge about the practice with such altruistic conditions as are recommended in the unanimous report of the Commissioners.—I
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