Index:Plea for mercy to animals (IA b28058094).pdf
| SYNOPSIS OF CONTENTS. I. The term cruelty to animals includes all kinds of needless suffering caused by man—Wanton cruelty less frequent than heedless cruelty—Injury done by want of thought as well as want of heart—Heathen nations and the depraved heart unmerciful—Jeremy Bentham on the rights of the animal creation to humane treatment—The duty of humanity grounded on revealed religion as well as natural law—Dr. Chalmers on the duty of humanity to animals in relation to Christianity—Dr. George Wilson on the place of this duty in Christian ethics—Precepts of mercy to animals in the Mosaic code of laws— Other Scripture precepts and lessons on the subject—The dominion of man over the lower animals a delegated trust, not an absolute right—Lord Erskine's appeal—Motives to humanity from reason and revelation—God's providential care of all His creatures—Instinct and reason—Instinct not always an involuntary impulse—Modifications of instinct—Anecdotes of instinct—Instinct in man—Intelligence in animals—Fidelity, sagacity, and other qualities in animals—Have animals a future existence?
II. Sufferings of animals used for the food and other necessary uses of man—Railway transit of cattle—Sea transit—Modes of slaughtering cattle, sheep, poultry, and other animals—Cruelties to animals used to assist the labour of man— Right of animals labouring for man to the day of rest—Cruelties to animals for the amusement of man—Brutal sports—Field sports. III. History of British legislation on cruelty to animals—Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—Jubilee Meeting, 1874—Queen Victoria’s letter—Operations and influence of the Society—Statutes for protection of animals from cruelty—Examples of cases prosecuted and convicted—Legislation should include cruelty to wild as well as domesticated animals—Public opinion and the press—Influence of literature and art—Cowper's poetry—Hogarth's "Four Stages of Cruelty"—Education of the young—Study of natural history—Prize essays—Baroness Burdett Coutts and the Ladies' Committee—Class-books and school training—The "Animal World," and other useful publications
IV. Prize essays of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals—Report of Committee of British Association for the Advancement of Science—Classes of experimental physiology in schools of medicine—Demonstrations of ascertained facts needless and cruel—Use of chloroform and other anaesthetics—Professor Schiff, of Florence—Introduction to England of vivisection as practised in French schools—Prosecution of Norwich vivisectors—Cruelties in London schools of physiology—Dr. Johnson on experiments on live animals—Testimony of teachers of physiology to the needless cruelty of such experiments—Examples of cruel operations—Examination of alleged results of vicisection—Fallacies of this mode of research—Testimony of Sir Charles Bell, Dr. Barclay, Dr. Fletcher, Dr. Elliotons, Dr. Carpenter, M. Legallois, Baron Cuvier, and others—Proposed methods of checking needless cruelties—Proposals of Dr. Bardsley, Professor Haughton, Sir Thomas Watson, and others—Proposal for special legislation—Appeal to the medical profession.
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