In the late 19th century, the Society received funds to pave city streets to lessen workhorse injuries and to install fountains throughout the city to provide drinking water to horses and other animals as well as humans. Some of these fountains are still standing – such as this one located near 9th and Clinton outside Pennsylvania Hospital (a Penn Medicine hospital
The inscription on the fountain reads: “A merciful man is merciful to his beast”
In Chapter Four of Diane L. Beers' book, she addresses the role that Philadelphia women played in advocating for more ethical treatment of animals used in agriculture. Access the full ebook below:
For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United States
by
Animal rights. Those two words conjure diverse but powerful images and reactions. Some nod in agreement, while others roll their eyes in contempt. Most people fall somewhat uncomfortably in the middle, between endorsement and rejection, as they struggle with the profound moral, philosophical, and legal questions provoked by the debate. Today, thousands of organizations lobby, agitate, and educate the public on issues concerning the rights and treatment of nonhumans. For the Prevention of Cruelty is the first history of organized advocacy on behalf of animals in the United States to appear in nearly a half century. Diane Beers demonstrates how the cause has shaped and reshaped itself as it has evolved within the broader social context of the shift from an industrial to a postindustrial society. Until now, the legacy of the movement in the United States has not been examined. Few Americans today perceive either the companionship or the consumption of animals in the same manner as did earlier generations. Moreover, powerful and lingering bonds connect the seemingly disparate American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of the nineteenth century and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals of today. For the Prevention of Cruelty tells an intriguing and important story that reveals society's often changing relationship with animals through the lens of those who struggled to shepherd the public toward a greater compassion.
In Dr. Benjamin Rush’s lectures on Animal Health and Welfare, he said “We are bound to study the means of preserving the health of domestic animals, by all those precepts in the Old and New Testament, which recommend kindness to them, and protection from outrage and oppression.”
Concerns about animal welfare led to strong support for establishing a veterinary school from the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PSPCA) and other animal rights organizations. Joshua Ballinger Lippincott, a trustee of the University of Pennsylvania, was an active member of the PSPCA and served as president of the organization for several years. Without Lippincott’s financial contributions in its early days, the School of Veterinary Medicine would likely not exist!
These pages are from a circular written by then-PSPCA president Coleman Sellers calling for society members to support the University of Pennsylvania’s efforts to start a veterinary school. At the time of its printing in 1879, the Trustees of the University had approved early plans for a Veterinary Department but needed funds to move forward. The circular details a subscription plan for citizens to invest $100 whereupon they would be entitled to certain privileges and preference when seeking treatment for their animals. The contributions would be held by the Society in trust until enough money was raised to present to the University.
Learn more about the work the Philadelphia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is doing today: https://www.pspca.org/about
