RISE OF COMPARATIVE ANATOMY 1 55 



founded comparative anatomy. From 1801 to 1805 appeared 

 his Legons d^Analomie Comparec, a systematic treatise on the 

 comparative anatomy of animals, embracing both the in- 

 vertebrates and the vertebrates. In 181 2 v^as pubHshed his 

 great work on the fossil bones about Paris, an achievement 

 which founded the science of vertebrate palaeontology. His 

 extensive examination of the structure of fishes also added 

 to his already great reputation. His book on the animal 

 kingdom (Le Regne Animal distribue d^apres son Organisa- 

 tion, 1816), in which he expounded his type-theory, has been 

 considered in a previous chapter. 



He was also deeply interested in the historical develop- 

 ment of science, and his volumes on the rise of the natural 

 sciences give us almost the best historical estimate of the 

 progress of science that we have at the present day. 



His Domestic Life. — Mrs. Lee, in a chattv account of 

 Cuvier, shows one of his methods of work. He had the 

 faculty of making others assist him in various ways. Not 

 only members of his family, but also guests in his household 

 were pressed into service. They were invited to examine 

 different editions of works and to indicate the differences in 

 the plates and in the text. This practice resulted in saving 

 much time for Cuvier, since in the preparation of his histor- 

 ical lectures he undertook to examine all the original sources 

 of the history with which he was engaged. In his lectures he 

 summarized facts relating to different editions of books, etc. 



Mrs. Lee also gives a picture of his family life, which was, 

 to all accounts, very beautiful. He was devoted to his wife 

 and children, and in the midst of exacting cares he found 

 time to bind his family in love and devotion. Cuvier was 

 called upon to suffer poignant grief in the loss of his chil- 

 dren, and his direct family was not continued. He was 

 especially broken by the death of his daughter who had 

 grown to young womanhood and was about to be married. 



