Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, February 6
    Trending
    • Headline: Deadly Earthquakes Hits Turkey
    • This Day in History on February 6th
    • History Short: When Were Microchips Invented?
    • The 2023 China Balloon Incident: A Compilation
    • Short Headline: Why Did Biden Wait to Shoot Down Chinese Balloon?
    • Short Headline: China Balloon Shootdown and Controversy
    • This Day in History on February 5th
    • History Short: What is the Greatest Museum in the World?
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»Lifestyle»Animals/Pets»December 10, 1907: Brown Dog Riots rock London!
    Animals/Pets

    December 10, 1907: Brown Dog Riots rock London!

    Major DanBy Major DanDecember 10, 2013Updated:June 24, 20201 Comment4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp
    Brown Dog Riots

    A Brief History

    On this date, December 10, 1907, a long running feud between the medical community and anti-vivisectionist activists boiled over into the worst of the riots and disturbances over the statue of a dog!

    Digging Deeper

    Digging deeper we find the turn of the century London medical community leaving the dark ages of medicine and trying to approach something more like the research we have today. Part of that scientific quest included the practice of vivisection, dissecting animals while they are still alive.  This practice was used for research and also for the instruction of medical students, and an attempt at humane practices was made by using anesthesia on the animals.  When they used man’s best friend instead of rodents, well, they went too far and were sure to generate some backlash.

    The doctors and students claimed the animals did not feel pain, but the anti-vivisectionists disagreed and said that during such operations the subject animals demonstrated extreme discomfort despite the anesthesia.  Lawsuits and public outcry on both sides continued through the early 1900s and was taken to another level when the anti-vivisectionists erected a memorial statue of a dog (brown, of course).

    The statue by Joseph Whitehead was erected in 1906 in Battersea’s Latchmere Recreation Ground and presumed destroyed in 1910.

    Medical researchers and students were highly offended by this memorial and the rhetoric from the activists and on December 10, 1907 decided to tear down the memorial.  Police had been contending with a campaign of vandalism of the memorial and were trying to protect it when a mob of perhaps a thousand medical students and others (known as “anti-doggers”) descended upon the park where the memorial stood!

    About 400 police were deployed to protect the property and the fight was on.  Somehow the violence expanded to include trade union members and suffragettes, causing quite a disruption.  Other less extensive disturbances occurred off and on for a few more years, and the memorial was removed by local authorities in 1910 and melted down.

    A new statue by Nicola Hicks was erected in Battersea Park in 1985.  Photograph by Tagishsimon.

    Not content to allow the “anti-doggers” the last word, a new memorial statue was erected in Battersea Park in 1985.  No riot this time, but sure enough the “anti-doggers” had it removed in 1992.  Restored in 1994, the memorial was moved to its current home in a less conspicuous part of the park.

    No animals were harmed in the writing of this article!

    The old Brown Dog by Joseph Whitehead

    Question for students (and subscribers): When, if ever, is animal experimentation acceptable?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For the larger issue of dog rights, including coverage of these riots, we recommend the following books:

    Nibert, David.  Animal Rights/Human Rights (Critical Media Studies: Institutions, Politics, and Culture).  Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2002.

    DeMello, Margo.  Animals and Society: An Introduction to Human-Animal Studies.  Columbia University Press, 2012.

    The featured image in this article, a London photograph of the spot on which the Brown Dog statue had stood in Battersea, taken the morning it disappeared and originally published by the Daily Graphic, London, 11 March 1910, reprinted in Hilda Kean, “An Exploration of the Sculptures of Greyfriars Bobby, Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Brown Dog, Battersea, South London, England,” Society and Animals, 11(4), December 2003, is in the public domain in the United States. This applies to U.S. works where the copyright has expired, often because its first publication occurred prior to January 1, 1924. See this page for further explanation.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleDecember 9, 1946: Nuremberg Nazi “Doctors” Trials
    Next Article December 11, 1981: El Mozote Massacre
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: What Poison Gasses were Used in World War I?

    January 31, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Ukrainian Canadian Woman Becomes the First Neurologist in Space

    January 22, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    Headline: Deadly Earthquakes Hits Turkey

    February 6, 2023

    This Day in History on February 6th

    February 6, 2023

    History Short: When Were Microchips Invented?

    February 6, 2023

    The 2023 China Balloon Incident: A Compilation

    February 5, 2023

    Short Headline: Why Did Biden Wait to Shoot Down Chinese Balloon?

    February 5, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.