X 0^ THE STUDY OF BIOLOGY 263 



cleavour to give you some answer to these four 

 questions — what Biology is; why it should be 

 studied; how it should be studied; and when it 

 should be studied. 



In the first place, in respect to what Biology 

 is, there are, I believe, some persons who imagine 

 that the term " Biology " is simply a new-fangled 

 denomination, a neologism in short, for what used 

 to be known under the title of " Natural His- 

 tory "; but I shall try to show you, on the con- 

 trary, that the word is the expression of the growth 

 of science during the last 200 years, and came into 

 existence half a century ago. 



At the revival of learning, knowledge was di- 

 vided into two kinds — the knowledge of nature 

 and the knowledge of man; for it was the current 

 idea then (and a great deal of that ancient con- 

 ception still remains) that there was a sort of 

 essential antithesis, not to say antagonism, be- 

 tween nature and man; and tliat the two had not 

 very much to do with one another, except that the 

 one was oftentimes exceedingly troublesome to the 

 other. Though it is one of the salient merits of 

 our great philosophers of the seventeenth century, 

 that they recognised but one scientific method, 

 applicable alike to man arid to nature, we find 

 this notion of the existence of a broad distinction 

 between nature and man in the writings both of 

 Bacon and of Ilobbes of Malmesbury; and T have 

 brought with me that famous work which is now 

 77 



