"All diseases have a mental or spiritual origin. Upon this
subject a large treatise might be written. I have carefully
thought this matter over, and can come to no other conclusion.
Can we imagine any wild bird confined to its nest with
rheumatism, or neuralgia, or consumption, or asthma, or any
other affection whatever? I believe them all to be entirely free
from disease; that is, all which have retained their freedom,
and thus have not come under the baneful influence of man. Take,
again, the fishes, and ask whether any fisherman ever caught a
fish found to be diseased. This subject is an interesting,
though a somewhat melancholy one."
Next, as an example of the literature of the London Society, let us
take a speech made at St. James's Hall, May 26, 1903, by Dr. Hadwen,
of Gloucester, who is also vehemently opposed to vaccination. He
and Lieutenant-General Phelps, at the time of the disastrous
smallpox epidemic in Gloucester in 1896, were leaders of the
anti-vaccinationists. It would be easy to give other instances of the
sympathy between anti-vivisection and anti-vaccination. But our
business is not with Dr. Hadwen at Gloucester, but with him at St.
James's Hall. He says to the London Society:--
"We are told we must pay attention to what the experts tell us.
My opinion is this: If there is one person in the whole of God's
creation that wants looking after, it is the expert.
(Laughter.)"
Of the House of Commons, he says:--
"If there is one thing in the world that will move a member of
Parliament, it is to know that any particular policy will carry
votes along with it. (Hear, hear.) You can bring any member of
Parliament to your knees as long as you show him that he has
his constituency at his back; and with all due respect to our
noble chairman, I am bound to say that my experience of members
of Parliament is this--that their consciences go as far as
votes, and do not extend very much farther." (Laughter and
applause.)
He describes an imaginary experiment under curare, and is interrupted
by a cry of "Demons!" He goes on:--
"Yes, madam, they are demons. (Applause.) I know no other word
to describe experimenters who can submit sentient and sensitive
creatures, almost human in intelligence and faith, to diabolical
experiments, whilst their victims are rendered helpless and
voiceless by a hellish drug. (Applause.) I cannot understand how
in a land like this, that boasts of her Christianity and of her
liberty, men, women, clergy, and politicians can allow this
cowardly science to stand before us, and this demoniacal work to
be carried on. (Loud cheers.)"
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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