A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals
.png) First edition title page | |
| Author | Ralph Fletcher |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Animal welfare, Christian ethics |
| Publisher | Longman and Co. |
Publication date | 1846 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Pages | 105 |
| OCLC | 970699961 |
| Text | A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals at Wikimedia Commons |
A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals; on the Inadequacy of Penal Law; on General Hospitals for Animals is an 1846 book by English surgeon and animal welfare advocate Ralph Fletcher. Published in London by Longman, the book critiques the mistreatment of animals in Victorian Britain and argues for stronger legal protections and institutional reforms. Drawing on contemporary examples and personal observations, Fletcher combines case studies with moral, philosophical, and Christian ethical reflections, and proposes the establishment of general hospitals for animals. The work is considered an early contribution to the development of the modern animal welfare movement.
Background
[edit]Ralph Fletcher (1780–1851) was a surgeon in Gloucester who held appointments at the Gloucester Infirmary, Dispensary, and Lunatic Asylum. He studied at St Bartholomew's Hospital and obtained his M.D. from the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He lived on Barton Street, near the city's animal pound, and was twice elected Mayor of Gloucester. It was reported that what he observed at the pound led him to write a book opposing cruelty to animals. In addition to his medical work, Fletcher wrote on the influence of the mind on the body and published several works during his career.[1]
Summary
[edit]The book opens with a "Preliminary Note", in which Fletcher reflects on the suffering endured by animals, especially those domesticated by humans. He challenges the assumption that animals are insensible to pain or destined to suffer as part of divine design. Arguing from moral, philosophical, and theological perspectives, he calls for humility and compassion, suggesting that the moral status of animals is obscured by human ignorance.
In "Importance of the Subject", Fletcher draws on his experience with a local animal protection society to argue that public cases of cruelty are only the visible surface of a much deeper problem. Behind closed doors—in stables, slaughterhouses, and private homes—animals are subjected to unchecked violence. He criticises the ineffectiveness of existing laws, especially the low fines and the power of magistrates to mitigate penalties, which he believes fail to deter repeat offenders.
The bulk of the book consists of themed "notes" on various species and practices. Donkeys, he argues, are among the most abused animals despite—or because of—their meekness. He cites cases of elderly and injured donkeys being overloaded, beaten, and driven to death. The section on cocks denounces the practice of tying live birds to stakes for shooting, while the note on badgers describes their capture, confinement, and repeated baiting by dogs for entertainment.
Fletcher recounts extreme cases of cruelty to cats, including mutilation, baiting, and being torn apart by dogs. Though affectionate and intelligent, cats are often treated as nuisances. Dogs, he writes, are more respected but still suffer from starvation, beatings, and overwork—particularly when used to pull carts or in dog-fighting. He notes their loyalty and emotional depth, contrasting it with human betrayal.
On calves, Fletcher condemns both the conditions of transport and slaughter. He criticises practices such as binding their legs, bleeding them repeatedly to produce white veal, and starving them before death. He presents this as calculated, institutional cruelty driven by consumer demand. Similarly, lambs are subjected to mutilation and deprivation before slaughter, in what he describes as one of the most callous forms of abuse.
Horses receive the most extensive treatment. Fletcher documents their relentless overwork, starvation, and neglect, especially in old age. He details untreated wounds, collapses in the street, and the flogging of blind or dying animals. He calls for legal accountability not only for drivers but also for owners who exploit worn-out horses beyond their limits.
In the closing sections, Fletcher proposes specific reforms: stiffer, non-mitigable penalties; public oversight of slaughterhouses and stables; education in humane values; and, most notably, the establishment of animal hospitals to care for sick and injured creatures. Throughout, he appeals to Christian ethics and human decency, urging that animals be recognised as sentient beings deserving of justice and mercy.
Reception
[edit]A contemporary review in the London Medical Gazette praised A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals for its humane tone and professional insight, noting that it was evidently written by a hospital surgeon with considerable feeling and experience. The reviewer commended Fletcher's arguments for their moral seriousness, particularly his opposition to cruelty and his advocacy for hospitals for animals, which the reviewer described as a "somewhat Utopian scheme" inspired by Hindu traditions. While the review acknowledged the book's limited practical application to medical practice, it expressed respect for Fletcher's decision to avoid detailing experiments on living animals and agreed with his criticism of the widespread use of animals in surgical testing, calling such practices often unjustifiable and of limited scientific utility.[2]
A review for The Athenaeum supported Fletcher's position that cruelty to animals brutalises the human mind and character, and endorsed the idea that such acts should be treated as crimes against society. The reviewer praised Fletcher's strong sympathy for animals and his proposal to establish hospitals for their care, describing it as a means of both aiding sick creatures and studying their diseases. However, the review also criticised what it called "absurd sentimentalism" surrounding animal suffering, particularly in relation to insects and lower animals, and suggested that Fletcher's views went further than those of most of his contemporaries in their sympathy for the brute creation.[3]
The Veterinary Record praised the book's emotional force and moral urgency, especially in its depictions of the suffering endured by domesticated animals. The reviewer highlighted Fletcher's connection with a local animal protection society and commended his aim of exposing cruelty through documented cases, noting the shocking prevalence of abuse even within a single locality. The review supported Fletcher's view that cruelty brutalises the human character and endorsed his argument for institutional reforms, including stricter legal penalties and the establishment of animal hospitals. It concluded that the book was suggestive, thoughtful, and deserving of further attention, particularly from those in veterinary and philanthropic work.[4]
Legacy
[edit]A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals was described as a treatise by animal rights writer Henry S. Salt, who included it in the "Bibliography of Animal Rights" section of his 1892 work Animals' Rights: Considered in Relation to Social Progress.[5]
In his 1989 reference work Keyguide to Information Sources in Animal Rights, Charles R. Magel describes the book as a vivid and sensitive account of animal cruelty in the Gloucester area during the early 1840s. He noted the book's detailed documentation of abuses against various animals—including badgers, cats, calves, cocks, dogs, donkeys, horses, lambs, and pigs—and its critique of the inadequacy of legal protections such as Martin's Act. Magel highlighted Fletcher's call for reforms, particularly the recommendation to establish general hospitals for animals modelled on human institutions.[6]
Publication history
[edit]A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals was published in London in 1846 by Longman and Co., comprising 105 pages. The first edition was issued as an volume of 105 pages. The work is now in the public domain.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Stevens, David (1996). "The Casebook of Ralph Fletcher MD. (1780–1851)" (PDF). Gloucestershire History. 10: 11–12. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-01-17.
- ^ "A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals". London Medical Gazette. 38: 1024–1026. 1846 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals". The Athenaeum. 1 (1058): 141. 1848 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals". The Veterinary Record. 2 (9): 330–333. 1846 – via Hathitrust.
- ^ Salt, Henry S. (1894). Animals' Rights Considered in Relation to Social Progress. New York; London: Macmillan & Co. p. 126.
- ^ Magel, Charles R. (1989). Keyguide to Information Sources in Animal Rights. McFarland. p. 78. ISBN 0-89950-405-1.
- ^ "A few notes on cruelty to animals; on the inadequacy of penal law; on general hospitals for animals; &c. &c. &c / By R. Fletcher". Wellcome Collection. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
External links
[edit]- A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals at Wikimedia Commons
- A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals at Google Books
- A Few Notes on Cruelty to Animals at the Wellcome Collection
