Miss Lizzy Lind-af-Hageby, a Swedish-British feminist and animal rights advocate, became the third president of the SSPV following the death of her predecessor, Nina Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon.

In 1902, Miss Lind-af-Hageby and like-minded activist, Leisa Schartau, enrolled themselves in the London School of Medicine for Women to learn more about vivisection (to which they were already opposed). The women attended vivisections at the college and in 1903 published their diary, The Shambles of Science: Extracts from the Diary of Two Students of Physiology, which accused researchers of having vivisected a dog without adequate anaesthesia. The ensuing scandal, known as the Brown Dog affair, included a libel trial and rioting by medical students in London.

In 1903, Miss Lind-af-Hageby co-founded the Animal Defence and Anti-Vivisection Society (ADAVS) with The Duchess of Hamilton. ADAVS was considered a sister society to the SSPV and, as a very skilled speaker, Miss Lind-af-Hageby gave talks to SSPV members.

Miss Lind-af-Hageby also ran the 237-acre Ferne Animal Sanctuary situated on the Duchess of Hamilton’s estate in Dorset. The property had been used as an animal sanctuary since the Second World War.

Miss Lind-af-Hageby held the post of SSPV President until she passed away in 1963.

(Photos © OneKind)