Royal Commission on Subjecting Live Animals to Experiments
An introduction by R. B. Freeman
Darwin gave his verbal evidence to the Royal Commission on the afternoon of November 3, 1875, Viscount Cardwell, the Chairman, coming to the door to receive him. He states that he had not personally carried out any physiological experiments, but had been a signatory to a memorandum sponsored by the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Emma Darwin, in a letter to her son Leonard, written on that day, describes his evidence as 'a sort of confession of faith about the claims of physiology and the duty of humanity'.
His verbal evidence is contained verbatim in the main blue book and briefly in the digest. The report itself was reprinted in 1906, but without the evidence.
Darwin. 1876. [Evidence given to the Commission]. Report of the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, pp. 233-4. Text Image Text & image PDF F1275
Darwin, C. R. 1876. Digest of evidence taken before the Royal Commission on the practice of subjecting live animals to experiments for scientific purposes: with an alphabetical list of witnesses. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office [Darwin's evidence on p. 34]. Image F1276
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Corrections and additions copyright John van Wyhe, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online - National University of Singapore.