Authors:
Offers a refreshingly objective viewpoint on the morality of animal vivisection
Provides new insights into a much-studied field
Takes a medicine-based approach to the broader issue of animal ethics
Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series (PMAES)
Buy it now
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
Table of contents (8 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
About this book
This book explores the social history of the anti-vivisection movement in Britain from its nineteenth-century beginnings until the 1960s. It discusses the ethical principles that inspired the movement and the socio-political background that explains its rise and fall. Opposition to vivisection began when medical practitioners complained it was contrary to the compassionate ethos of their profession. Christian anti-cruelty organizations took up the cause out of concern that callousness among the professional classes would have a demoralizing effect on the rest of society. As the nineteenth century drew to a close, the influence of transcendentalism, Eastern religions and the spiritual revival led new age social reformers to champion a more holistic approach to science, and dismiss reliance on vivisection as a materialistic oversimplification. In response, scientists claimed it was necessary to remain objective and unemotional in order to perform the experiments necessary for medical progress.
Keywords
- Open Access
- animal ethics
- social history
- anti-cruelty
- animal experimentation
- medical science
- moral integrity
- professional morality
- utilitarianism
- theological distinction
- smear campaign
- reputation
Authors and Affiliations
-
Department of Cellular Pathology, University College London, London, UK
A.W.H. Bates
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Anti-Vivisection and the Profession of Medicine in Britain
Book Subtitle: A Social History
Authors: A.W.H. Bates
Series Title: The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-55697-4
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
License: CC BY
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-55696-7Published: 03 August 2017
eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-55697-4Published: 24 July 2017
Series ISSN: 2634-6672
Series E-ISSN: 2634-6680
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXI, 217
Topics: Ethics, Moral Philosophy, History of Britain and Ireland, Animal Welfare/Animal Ethics, Theory of Medicine/Bioethics, Sociology, general