Letter on Vivisection

An introduction by R. B. Freeman

This letter by Darwin was written to Professor Frithiof Holmgren, Professor of Physiology at Uppsala, on April 14, 1881, and it appeared in The Times on the 18th and later in Nature and the British Medical Journal.

In the same year, it appeared in a pamphlet which also contains two other letters, one of them to Darwin, by George R. Jesse, the Honorary Secretary of the Society for the total Abolition and utter Suppression of Vivisection. I have not been able to see a copy of the first edition, but its existence is inferred from the second.

Darwin, C. R. 1881. Mr. Darwin on vivisection. The Times. (18 April): 10. Text Image Text & image F1352

Darwin, C. R. 1881. Mr Darwin on vivisection. Nature 23 (21 April): 583. Text Image Text & image F1353

Darwin, C. R. 1881. Mr. Darwin on vivisection. The Times (22 April): 11. Text Image Text & image F1793

Darwin, C. R. 1881. Mr Darwin on vivisection. British Medical Journal, London 1: 660. Text Image Text & image F1354

Darwin, C. R. 1881. Correspondence with Charles Darwin LL.D., F.R.S., on experimenting upon living animals. London: William Pickering. 2d edition. Image F1356

From: Freeman, R. B. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d ed. Dawson: Folkstone.

NOTE: With thanks to The Charles Darwin Trust and Dr Mary Whitear for use of the Bibliographical Handlist. Copyright. All rights reserved. For private academic use only. Not for republication or reproduction in whole or in part without the prior written consent of The Charles Darwin Trust, 31 Baalbec Road, London N5 1QN.

Corrections and additions copyright John van Wyhe, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online - National University of Singapore.