§ 8. Mr. FENBYasked the Home Secretary if the inspectors under the Cruelty to Animals Act, 1876, are qualified veterinary surgeons; and, if not, what special qualifications are required, if any, for the position?
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative. As to the second part, the majority of the Royal Commission on Vivisection, in their Report, expressed the decided opinion that "it is essential that the inspectors should be qualified medical men of such position as to secure the confidence both of their own profession and of the public"; and the qualifications which have been required in making these appointments are medical knowledge and standing, and such scientific attainments as would qualify their possessor to appreciate the nature and results of recent scientific research.