1897] STEEXSTRUF 161 



Generations" (1842), and "On the Existence of Hermaphroditism 

 in Nature" (1845). The first of these is too well known to need 

 any explanation here ; it can only be wondered that this doctrine so 

 wonderful at the time of its publication has been so little modified 

 in its essential points and lost or gained so little in extension since 

 that time. Space forbids me to enlarge further on this topic, which 

 more than any other of Steenstrup's writings has spread his name 

 and fame over the whole civilised world. His second work, that 

 " On Hermaphroditism," was less successful, though its subject was 

 in intimate connection with lines of thought resulting from or con- 

 nected with " metagenesis," as it is now generally termed. One may 

 admire the author's acuteness of perception and the extent of his 

 comparative studies, and confess that he quite rightly abolished many 

 cases of unfounded hermaphroditism among inferior animals ; but it 

 must be allowed that hermaphroditism is still fully recognised, with 

 few exceptions, among leeches, flukes, tapeworms, pulmonate and 

 opisthobranch snails, barnacles, etc. (Tardigrada have lately been 

 thrown off), without our being able to give an adequate natural 

 reason for its presence in some tribes and its absence in others. 

 In recent times Steenstrup's memoir has awakened the important 

 remark, that in all probability hermaphroditism has not been the 

 primordial rule in any division of higher or lower zoological rank, 

 but must be a " later acquisition " in the course of evolution, for 

 which no satisfactory reason can yet be given. While speaking 

 still of Steenstrup's residence at Soroe, it should be mentioned that 

 here he pursued, in the course of other faunistic studies, an examina- 

 tion into the specific duplicity of our common frogs (Rana temporaria) 

 and the distinctive characters of what he termed R. oxyrhinus and 

 R. platyrhinus, which have played a rather important part in the 

 recent study of the Anourous Batrachia. 



In 1846, after the death of Eeinhardt, sen., Steenstrup was 

 nominated to replace him in the chair of Zoology at the University 

 •of Copenhagen, and as Director of its modest zoological collection. 

 He was a beloved and admired teacher for the students of medicine 

 and for the pupils of the polytechnic school, and at the same time the 

 gifted chief leader of the " Natural History Society." A member of 

 ithe Royal Society of Science from 1842, he was its secretary after 

 Forchammer's death until after years of great activity he gave up 

 this post in 1878. The election to the Presidency after Madvig's 

 •death he declined, as he had more than once declined the Rectorship 

 of the University, being anxious not to be drawn too much away 

 from his scientific studies and his professorial duties. In 1848 he 

 was with Forchammer placed at the head of the " Poyal Natural 

 History Museum," with the recommendation of the Minister of 

 Education to promote its union with the University Museums — a 



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