Inhumane Society: The American Way of Exploiting Animals

On the heels of Returning to Eden and Agricide , Fox continues to write on behalf of animal welfare and rights. A consulting veterinarian and a vice-president of the Humane Society of the United States, he reviews the Society's origins and its expanding concern about the environment. He castigates fellow veterinarians for their alliance with industries that exploit animals; he insists that the primary responsibility of veterinarians is animal welfare. Discussing the scientific and ethical implications of genetic engineering, Fox regards biotechnology as a serious threat to the planet, and charges that agriculture and medicine, like other industrial systems, profit from inappropriate and improperly applied technological control over life. His guidelines for animal rights are offered as part of a broad commitment to fostering respect and reverence for all life and for the environment. Though the subject is provocative, Fox is probably addressing the converted. (Sept.)