44 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



the subject grew, it necessarily split into several volumes, and as 

 the aid ot other writers became imperative it lost something in 

 the unity of treatment, and eventually became too large for the 

 ordinary medical student. As in his lectures so in his text-book 

 he avoided dogmatic statements. He gave the various views, dis- 

 cussed them, pointed out the difficulties, and sometimes — but not 

 always — summed up in favour of one view. His graphic literary 

 style gave distinction to the work, and some chapters rise to a 

 high level of eloquence. The book was a great success and was 

 translated into several of the chief European languages ; its philo- 

 sophic breadth of view greatly helped the recognition of Physiology 

 as a complete and independent science. The charm and humour 

 of Foster's style are jjerhaps best shown in his short memoir on 

 Claude Bernard, and especially in his • History of Physiology 

 during the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries,' which embody the 

 lectures he gave at the Cooper College, San Francisco, in 1900. 

 Foster published several other books and many articles, all of them 

 characterised by an admirable clearness and felicity of expression. 

 He also founded, in 1878, the ' Journal of Physiology,' and edited 

 it until 1891. In this connection it may also be mentioned that 

 Foster was exceptionally happy as an after-dinner speaker, a post 

 in which his sense of humour was allowed full play. As an 

 oi'ganizer Foster did an immense work in starting and guiding 

 many of the modern movements in Biological teaching. Botany, 

 Animal Morphology, and Physiology as taught in England owe 

 much of their present methods to him. For many years he took 

 an active part in University affairs, and sat upon the Council of 

 the Senate from 1886 to 1890, but the increasing demands of the 

 Eoyal Society and of various Commissions which compelled him 

 to be more and more in Loudon gradually left him but little time 

 for affairs in Cambridge. 



In 1881 Foster succeeded Huxley as Biological Secretary of the 

 Eoyal Society, and from that date onwards he gave an immense 

 amount of time and energy to its affairs. He widened the basis 

 of the activities of the Society, advocated its more intimate relation 

 with the Government, and was the trusted adviser of the Treasury 

 in scientific matters. He took a considerable part in starting the 

 JSTational Physical Laboratory, the International Congress of 

 Geodesy, the International Catalogue of Scientific Papers, and the 

 International Association of Academies. To him was largely due 

 the founding of the Physiological Society, over which he presided 

 in 1898 at the Cambridge Meeting. He served on the Eoyal 

 Commission on "Vaccination," on that of the "Disposal of Sewage," 

 was Chairman of the Treasu.ry Departmental Committee on 

 " Botanical Work and Collections at the British Museum and at 

 Kew," 1900-1, and was Chairman of the " Tuberculosis " Com- 

 mission at the time of his death. For nearly forty years Foster 

 was a member of the Linnean Society. He was elected Jan. 16, 

 1868 ; he also sat on several Departmental Committees, served 

 on our Council in 1870-71, and again in 1880-81. 



