Why Did The Royal Society Use Animals?
Granted a royal charter by King Charles II in 1660, the Royal Society, was, to a large extent, the product of the Enlightenment. Inspired by Francis Bacon’s New Atlantis, the Royal Society began to call into question many of the assertions of Galen, Aristotle, and other crafters of the ancient scientific canon, which served for many years, particularly in the wake of humanism, as the foundation and ultima ratio of European science (America, 2013). Despite abandoning many of the conclusions of ancient thinkers and much of the methodology of Renaissance humanism, the Royal Society continued the ancient legacy of animal experimentation, which was first institutionalized by Galen (Greek, 2000). Commonly killed as a result of testing, dogs were routinely used by the Royal
…show more content…
These experiments, justified on both theological and utilitarian grounds, were widely acclaimed in the Society’s magnum opus, collectively entitled the “Philosophical Transactions”. In the quest for anatomical and biological knowledge, members of the Royal Society commonly conducted brutally violent, and often deadly, experiments on dogs.
One of the great “fads” among European philosophers and scientists in the 17th century, “the art of transfusing blood from one animal to another” was given “much attention” during the early modern period (Thomson, 1812). Though somewhat comical when considered in light of the current understanding of biology, experimentation conducted by members of the Royal Society often centered around the effect of blood transfusion on the appearance, individual disposition, and species of the recipient. Addressing the transfusion of blood from one dog to another conducted by Dr. Richard Lower,
These experiments, justified on both theological and utilitarian grounds, were widely acclaimed in the Society’s magnum opus, collectively entitled the “Philosophical Transactions”. In the quest for anatomical and biological knowledge, members of the Royal Society commonly conducted brutally violent, and often deadly, experiments on dogs.
One of the great “fads” among European philosophers and scientists in the 17th century, “the art of transfusing blood from one animal to another” was given “much attention” during the early modern period (Thomson, 1812). Though somewhat comical when considered in light of the current understanding of biology, experimentation conducted by members of the Royal Society often centered around the effect of blood transfusion on the appearance, individual disposition, and species of the recipient. Addressing the transfusion of blood from one dog to another conducted by Dr. Richard Lower,