At the meeting of the British association held at Liverpool in 1870, the general com mittee requested the committee of section D (Biology) to draw up a statement of their views on physiological experiments in their various hearings, and they further requested the committee to consider "from time to time whether any steps can be taken by them, or by the association, which will tend to reduce to its minimum the suffering entailed by legitimate physiological inquiries." Accordingly, at the meeting of the association at Edinburgh in 1871, the biological committee gave in a report. in which the following resolutions were presented: 1. That no experiment which can be performed under the influence of an anfesthetie ought to be done without it; 2. That no painful experiment is justified for the mere. purpose of illustrating a law or fact already demonstrated; 3. Whenever, for the investigation of new truth, it is necessary to make a painful experi ment, every effort should be made to insure success, so that the suffering inflicted may not be wasted—that, therefore, no painful experiment ought to be performed by an unskilled person, or in an unsuitable place; 4. In the scientific preparation for veterinary prac tice, operations ought not to be performed on living animals for the purpose of obtain ing manual dexterity. On the reception of this report, a standing committee was
appointed for the purpose of carrying out, with all the influence of the British associa tion, the above humane suggestions.
A still more satisfactory result, however, was the interference (following upon the report of a royal commission) of parliament, which, in the year 1876, gave its assent to a bill to amend the law' relating to cruelty to animals, the purpose of which was the restriction, or better regulation, of vivisection. The provisions of this act coincide to a great extent with the resolutions of the committee as given above, and require that every one performing a painful experiment upon a living animal (which must be with a view of advancing physiological knowledge, or knowledge which will be useful for sav ing or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering), must hold a license from one of her majesty's principal secretaries of state. Persons holding a conditional license are allowed to perform such experiments only in a registered place, while the same rule applies to experiments performed for the sake of instruction (which, however, are permitted only under certain stringent limitations). Special protection is afforded to horses, asses, mules, dogs, and cats. The act does not apply to invertebrate animals.