This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. 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.

This three-volume set brings together a range of documents that allows researchers to explore the nineteenth-century vivisection controversy, its relation to the prominent animal welfare movement and the specific role of women within the movement. The collection maps the battle over the meaning of animals in Victorian culture, from utility to companionship, showing the range of political, rhetorical and representational strategies that were deployed as physiology and anti-vivisection struggled to assert the 'truth' of animal bodies. The volumes include press articles by key pro- and anti-vivisectionist activists in the established press, Victorian government materials, scientific papers and illustrations, and the pamphlets and journals of the anti-vivisectionist movements. Recent collections in this series include Josephine Butler and the Prostitution Campaigns (March 2003, 5 volumes, £495) and Women, Madness and Spiritualism (June 2003, 2 volumes, £250). Forthcoming titles include Women and Cross Dressing 1800-1939 (2005, 3 volumes, c. £325) and Feminism and the Periodical Press 1900-1918 (2005, 3 volumes, c. £325).

This set brings together a range of documents that will allow researchers to explore the nineteenth- century vivisection controversy, its relation to the prominent animal welfare movement and the specific role of women within the movement.

This set brings together a range of documents that will allow researchers to explore the nineteenth- century vivisection controversy, its relation to the prominent animal welfare movement and the specific role of women within the movement.