y residence, and it would have
been inconvenient to have worked there. Thus, my going to Toulouse
was a matter of convenience rather than of necessity.

"The circumstance was of course of no interest to anyone but myself,
AND I HAVE GIVEN NO ACCOUNT OF IT FOR PUBLICATION.... I have answered
your question frankly, but I must beg you to understand that it is not
intended for publication.
"Believe me,
"Sincerely yours,
"LISTER."

From every man's correspondence Death at last removes the seal; and
Lister's true story surely may now confront the distorted fiction
which in America for many years has been given so wide a publicity.

The facts are indeed different from the legend which for more than a
quarter of a century has been repeated as a convincing argument
against reform. Of the malign influence of such a tale upon public
opinion in preventing legislation in America, we can form no adequate
estimate. For any intentional deception we may, of course, absolve
the distinguished professional man who has made himself responsible as
transmitter of the myth; no man with any conception of honour would
state as facts what he knew to be false. But from the charge of
carelessness, of gross inaccuracy, is one as readily to be freed? For
a quarter of a century the statement has been in circulation--that
when Lister desired to make most important researches, "so many
obstructions were thrown in his way in England, that HE WAS DRIVEN TO
TOULOUSE to pursue his humane researches"; and now Lister's letter
shows us that he "could, no doubt, have obtained a licence to do them
here"--showing that he did not even ask permission to experiment. In
1900 the public was informed that Lister "was obliged to go to France
to carry on his experiments"; the readers of Harper's are told that
"Lord Lister was COMPELLED TO GO TO FRANCE by reason of the stringency
of the English antivivisection laws"; and now Lister writes that going
to France was a matter of convenience, and not of necessity; that at
the Veterinary College "I dare say I might have had the opportunity
given me for the investigation"--showing that the opportunity had
never been sought! Yet the influence of the untruth will continue for
many a year.

Of Lister's extreme antipathy to the antivivisectionists and to th
erestriction of animal experimentation there can be