Batersea Brown Dog

The Battersea Brown Dog

A postcard was published at the time with a photo of the Brown Dog statue and the wording:-

“This is a picture of the Memorial erected at Battersea to the Brown Dog vivisected in the Laboratories of University College, London, in 1902-1903”

“The evidence of the vivisectors themselves, in the trial of Bayliss v. Coleridge, proved that a deep wound was made in the body of the dog in December, and a duct in its inside was tied up so as to deprive it of the proper use of one of its internal organs. The wound was then sewn up and the dog having recovered from anaesthetics it was kept in a cage from December to February. Then a fresh wound was made to ascertain whether the tying of the duct had produced inflammation or not. This was done under anaesthetics, then the dog, with this wound clamped together with iron forceps, was handed over to another vivisector, who fastened it down to a board and made another severe wound in its neck, exposing a gland; he fixed little pipes to the end of its arteries, he attached electrodes to its dissected-out nerves, he put a tube into its severed windpipe which was connected under the floor to an automatic pump in another room, in the charge of a laboratory boy, supplying artificial respiratory of anaesthetics, on which apparatus depended the dog’s insensibility. After about an hour on that board the dog was finally handed over to a third operator, who killed it.”

“Men and women of England, how long shall these things be?”

The Times, 10 February 1908

THE BROWN DOG.
MEETING AT BATTERSEA.

A “preliminary mass meeting” was hold at The Battersea Town-hall, last night, to protest against the suggested removal of the Brown Dog anti-vivisection memorial at Battersea. Apart from the large body of stewards there was only a moderate attendance, the lavish display of posters hedcd” Shall Battersea Lose its Brown Dog?” having evidently failed to rouse local enthusiasm. Mr. Ewell McAllan presided, with the Mayor of Battersea (Mr. Worthy), with several Borough councilors and local Socialist leader, was on the platform.

The Chairman said the meeting was called by the London and Provincial Anti-Vivisection Association, first, to protest against the iniquitous system of vivisection, and, secondly, to try and instill a little courage into those who were in control of the forces of law and order, lie extended a somewhat qualified welcome to the medical students who he understood, were present. When medical students demonstrated in Trafalgar Square on behalf of the tmderfcd children or against the wretched conditions under which the masses lived they would agree with them. Having referred to the letter of Commissioner of Police suggesting that the memorial should be removed or that the Battersea Borough Council should pay the £700 a year spent in guarding it, the chairman asserted that it was not, due so much to a desire to economize as to certain influences which were it work.

MR. WILLIS moved:—“That this meeting condemns the practice of vivisection as being inseparable from cruelty to its dumb victims, and us dishonouring’ to the nation which encouraged and supported it.” This, he said, as a declaration against cruelty in every shape or form and he asked the meeting to pass it unanimously. He read the inscription on the memorial, and maintained that it was true and its continuance was needed as a protest and a reminder. The practice of vivisection engendered callousness in medical men and accounted for san alarming increase in the use of the knife on patients. With reference to the letter from Chief Commissioner of Police, he said the proper answer would be to tell the Commissioner to do his duty, and they would communicate with the Home Office and see that he did it.

Mr. WALL, physician and surgeon of the Battersea Anti-Vivisection Hospital, seconded the resolution, and said a miserable minority of vivisectors dominated the whole medical profession. It was an insult to common sense of[sic] assert that experiments on living animals were conducted without the infliction of pain.

Mr. SIDNEY TRIST protested against honors being bestowed on those who bad built up a reputation on the sufferings of animals.
There was some cheering when Mr. D. CARMICHAEL, a Socialist, said bludgeons would have been used if the unemployed instead of medical students had attacked the memorial. If the students chose Battersea as a battle ground they would have a warm welcome.

The motion was carried.

There are a number of references to the brown dog on the web, see

http://www.navs.org.uk/about/125/browndog.htm

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