266 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



the first time from outside the political world, the ' Left ' of the Senate 

 have wished to manifest their good disposition toward the sciences; and, 

 if I am happy in having heen chosen on that ground, I am especially 

 happy that anthropology should have acquired so much importance in 

 ptihlic opinion as to be called to have its representative in the Senate." 

 A banquet was given him by his friends in honor of his nomination, 

 when he made a remark which had a singular bearing in connection 

 with his sudden death : " My friends, I am too happy. . . . Yes, I am 

 too happy. If I was superstitious, I should regard my nomination to 

 the Senate as the presage of some great misfortune, perhaps as the 

 presage of death." On the 6th of July, 1880, he was seized with a 

 fainting-fit at his place in the Senate. He resumed his work on the 

 two following days, but was attacked again at midnight on the 8th, 

 and died in ten minutes. His organs were found to be all sound, 

 and his death was attributed to cerebral exhaustion arising from 

 overwork. 



For forty years Broca lived a life of persistent work. "While still a 

 student, he would pass his nights reading scientific works and journals 

 pen in hand, to note down what he found most interesting. For three 

 years, although he was otherwise the busiest of the professors, he de- 

 livered his lectures twice a week, while his colleagues were satisfied to 

 give a single lesson. He was accustomed to spend much time every 

 day at the laboratory, dissecting, drawing, or superintending the mod- 

 eling and classification of new specimens ; and he also devoted most 

 of his evenings to anthropology. The pressure of his duties finally 

 became so great that he could only afford one hour an evening for his 

 favorite work, and he took from eleven o'clock till midnight, promising 

 his family that he would not study later. 



As a teacher, says M. Bertillon, he was clearness itself. His pas- 

 sion for truth spoke in his lectures, and he would never leave a subject 

 till he could see the understanding of it reflected in the face of every 

 hearer down to the simplest child. He was always ready to ignore the 

 interests of his own ambition for the sake of those of science, and in- 

 sisted on retiring from the presidency of the Anthropological Section 

 of the French Association in 18T6, so that the honor might be open to 

 others. His style was simple and elegant, and combined the graces of 

 the man of taste and the lover of poetry with the preciseness of the 

 scientific student. In his personality his features were less important 

 than the expression that animated them. In personal intercourse his 

 vivacity, his originality, his fertile memory, and his inexhaustible re- 

 sources in quotations and anecdotes, made him a charming talker. 

 He was as familiar with questions of aesthetics and literature as with 

 those of politics and science ; was interested in everything, and had 

 his own well-reasoned views on everything. In all things love of 

 truth was the great passion of his life. 



