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William Youatt

1776-1847

1839 | William Youatt, The Obligation and Extent of Humanity to Brutes, Principally Considered with Reference to the Domesticated Animals (London, 1839); Online at Google Books.

The Obligation and Extent of Humanity to Brutes, Principally Considered with Reference to the Domesticated Animals

1892 | Henry Salt, review of "The Obligation and Extent of Humanity to Animals by William Youatt," in the Bibliographical Appendix of Animals' Rights, Considered in Relation to Social Progress [First Edition: London & New York, 1892] (London & New York, 1894; Online at Animal Rights History, 2003).

William Youatt (1777-1847), Professor in the Royal Veterinary College, and author of many standard works on veterinary subjects, was a member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty.

"The claims of humanity," he says in his introduction, "however they may be neglected or outraged in a variety of respects, are recognized by every ethical writer. They are truly founded on reason and on scripture, and in fact are indelibly engraven on the human heart."

"But to what degree are they recognized and obeyed? To what extent are they inculcated, not only in many excellent treatises on moral philosophy, but by the great majority of the expounders of the scriptures? We answer with shame, and with an astonishment that increases upon us in proportion as we think of the subject,—the duties of humanity are represented as extending to our fellow-men, to the victims of oppression or misfortune, the deaf and the dumb, the blind, the slave, the beggared prodigal, and even the convicted felon—all these receive more or less sympathy; but, with exceptions [125] few and far between, not a writer pleads for the innocent and serviceable creatures—brutes as they are termed—that minister to our wants, natural or artificial.

"Nevertheless, the claims of the lower animals to humane treatment, or at least to exemption from abuse, are as good as any that man can urge upon man. Although less intelligent, and not immortal, they are susceptible of pain: but because they cannot remonstrate, nor associate with their fellows in defence of their rights, our best theologians and philosophers have not condescended to plead their cause, nor even to make mention of them; although, as just asserted, they have as much right to protection from ill-usage as the best of their masters have.

"Nay, the matter has been carried further than this. At no very distant period, the right of wantonly torturing the inferior animals, as caprice or passion dictated, was unblushingly claimed; and it was asserted that the prevention of this was an interference with the rights and liberties of man ! Strange that at the beginning of the nineteenth century this should have been the avowed opinion of some of the British legislators; and that the advocate of the claims of the brute should have been regarded as a fool or madman, or a compound of both."

The book contains chapters on the usefulness and good qualities of the inferior animals, the application of the principle of humanity, the dissection of living animals, the study of natural history, etc.