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19th Century Arguments for Anti-Vivisection found in The Island of Dr. Moreau

Published in 1896, The Island of Dr. Moreau is a novel filled with both horror and wonder. Written by H.G. Wells, the novel tells the story of a diabolical scientist bent on turning animals into human beings. While many of the experiments of vivisection that are performed in the novel are highly unrealistic, quite a few of the horrific scenes that occur in the story do in fact have roots in reality.

While H.G. Wells was busy concocting the plot for his novel, the topic of anti-vivisection in the 19th century was being hotly debated throughout England. Many believed that vivisection would lead to bigger and better things, while others saw the monstrosity in the experiments that were being carried out.

In The Island of Dr. Moreau, it is revealed that Dr. Moreau is resposible for performing some very grisly experiements on animals such as dogs, pigs, pumas, and wolves. These experiments ultimately result in the animals becoming human, but much to Dr. Moreau's dismay, the creatures eventually revert back to their true nature and end up killing Dr. Moreau in the process.

The events of the novel are both terrifying and tragic, and yet while they may seem to purely come from the realm of imagination, ultimately they reflect the arguments that were being made by anti-vivisectionists at the time of the book's release.

A Revealing Letter

In 1875, a British newspaper called the Morning Post published a letter that had been signed by a man named George Hoggan. Within the contents of the letter, Hoggan revealed that he had been in the employment of another man by the name of Claude Benard. While in the service of Bernard, Hoggan stated that he would often witness Bernard carrying out experiments on animals that were very cruel, especially when it came to the dogs that Bernard owned.

It was accounts such as these, that went on to spark large movements amongst anti-vivisectionists throughout England. People such as Frances Cobbe made it their mission in life to bring an end to vivisection, as most of them were appalled by the fact that most experiments of vivisection did not use anaesthesia.

Anti-vivisectionists could not stand the thought of animals being experimented on while still conscious, so they set out to shed light on these gruesome acts. Producing various pamphlets and posters, anti-vivisectionists did everything in their power to spread the word about the evils of vivisection

Truth found in Fiction

There's no denying that the majority of the events in The Island of Dr. Moreau are extremely exaggerated, when looking at what scientists were actually capable of doing in the nineteenth century. However, real arguments and concerns of anti-vivisectionists of the time do bleed into the novel.

As Prendick does his best to come to terms with the situation he is now in, he suddenly remembers hearing horror stories of Dr. Moreau back in England. These stories include the vile experiments he would perform on dogs. It is here that one can begin to see similarities between real-life and the book. Just as Bernard had performed grisly experiments on his dogs, Dr. Moreau is described as doing the same thing.

Furthermore, throughout the course of the novel, all Prendick can hear are the painful screams of the puma. These cries of pain clearly indicate that the puma is conscious while Dr. Moreau experiments on it. As stated earlier, the exclusion of anaesthesia when it came to experiments of vivisection was one of the main points anti-vivisectionists used to showcase how cruel vivisection truly was.

From these examples and more, it is clear that H.G. Wells took real-life events and arguments that were being made by anti-vivisectionists in the nineteenth century, and embedded them within his novel in hopes that he could make the argument stronger.

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