§ SIR WILLIAM PLOWDEN (Wolverhampton, W.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his attention has been called to a letter in the Scottish Leader for 27th January, 1890, containing allegations of cruelty against Professor Rutherford in experimenting upon a living dog at the Edinburgh Medical Schools, which would involve infringement of the Act of Parliament 39 and 40 Vic. c. 77; whether Professor Rutherford has reported these experiments to the Inspector, or if inquiry has been made by the Inspector respecting them; if the Home Secretary will lay upon the Table full particulars of the same, together with any Reports made to him by the Inspector, or his deputy, with reference to this particular case, or to other cases of alleged infringement of the Act; if the experiments referred to were performed under Certificate C, in conformity with the Act, by whom such certificate was signed; whether this certificate releases the holder from 554 compliance with Sub-section 3 of the proviso to Section 3 of the Act; and whether such certificate, being held in addition to a licence, is granted for a single experiment or limited series of experiments, or is granted for an unlimited number of experiments and extends over a period of months or years?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE TOE THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. MATTHEWS,) Birmingham, E.Yes, Sir; my attention was called to the letter in question. The only allegation in that letter which called for inquiry on my part was that the dog was not killed after the lecture, but kept for other purposes. The Inspector inquired into this, and reported to me that no dogs or other animals used by Professor Rutherford under Certificate C in illustration of his lectures has been allowed to recover from the full effect of the anæsthetic before being killed. An operator under Certificate C is not required to furnish Reports of his experiments. I am not, therefore, able to lay particulars upon the Table of the House. The experiments were under Certificate C, which was signed by the President of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, and it does not release the holder from the provisions of the Act referred to. Such certificate runs with the licence and continue valid as long as the licence is renewed. The certificate in question was granted in the year 1882.