The Sun.
London, England, 1828-03-29 00:00:00

SUBJECTS FOR DISSECTION.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved that part of
the clause empowering the Judge to order the dissection of
the body of a murderer be left out, leaving to the Judge
only the discretion of having the criminal hung in chains.
The Noble Marquis stated that, from his communication
with the medical profession; he understood that they would
rather be without the limited assistance which the present
law afforded, than allow a stigma to he attached to the dis-
sktion of the human body. It was desirable on every
principle to encourage, as an act of public good, whatever
might lead to a greater supply of subjects for the anatomist,
and if the stigma attached by the people to the dissection
of the human subject were removed, a more ample supply
would be obtained.

The Earl of ROSEBERRY, having been one of a
commission to inquire into the Edinburgh University,
wished to make a few remarks on the subject. He could
assure their Lordships that many medical students were
obliged to leave this country and fly to the Continent for
the purpose of pursuing their education. $o long as the
infamy of dissection continued to he a part of the punish-
ment for the worst offences, so long would one great ope-
rative cause prevent the supply of a sufficient number of
bodies for dissection to ,erve the purposes of science.
Lord TENTERDBN, though assenting to tho amend-
ment of the Noble Marquis, wished the House to consider
what might be the effect of it on the country. Another
point worthy of their Lordships' consideration was the
feeling of respect paid by the people to the bodies of their
deceased relations,—a feeling, he thought, which ought to
be encouraged.

The amendment was then agreed to.
Lord TENTERDEN proposed an amendment in the
clause relative to the concealment of the birth of illegitimate
children. There bad, he observed, been cases where some
difficulty bad arisen in proving the alleged illegitimacy...—
He proposed, therefore, that the clause should be made
applicable generally to all cases of concealment of birth.—
The Noble Lord proposed another amendment in the same
clause—viz. that the party should be put upon her trial,
either upon the coroner's inquest or the indictment, in the
discretion of the Judge.
The above amendments were agreed to; and, after a

veriety of verbal amendments had been nial.‘, the Bill was
ordered to be reprinted.
The House then went into a Committee upon the Bill
for amending the law of evidence.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE observed, that since he
had introduced this Bill, he had received a variety of com-
munications from members of that respectable and excel-
lent body of persons to whom one clause of the Bill parti-
cularly referred. They wished it to be understood that
the proposed enactment bad not been sought for by the
general body of Quakers ; and be (the Marquis of Lans-
downe) believed be had so stated to their Lordships when
he moved the second reading of the Bill. It was not pro-
posed as a boon to the Quakers, but as an act of justice to
them, and for the benefit of the community at large. At
the same time he thought it due to the general body of
Quakers to state, that although their peculiar tenets made
them averse in ninny instances to give evidence in criminal
cases, yet they had not objected to the produced alteration
in the law, which would henceforth render it imperative on
them to give their evidence upon their affirmation in cri-
minal as well as civil cases. There was but one amend-
ment in the clause of the Bill now under the consideration
of their Lordships, which he (the Marquis of Lansdowne)
wished to propose : and the object of that amendment was
to extend the evidence of Moravians to criminal as well as
civil cases, so as to put them on an equality with the
Quakers in this respect.
The amendment was then put and agreed to, as was also
one which had reference to the other clause of the
viz. that enabling a party whose hand-writing had been
forged, to give evidence on the trial of an indictment for
forgery, notwithstanding any interest he might have in the
document forged. The amendment excepted the case of a
party convicted of perjury.
A few verbal amendments were made, and the Bill was
ordered to lie reprinted. Both Bills were ordered to be re-
committed on Wednesday next.—Adjourned to Monday.