CARPENTER, ON HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY. 283 
indication on the part of Dr. Power of attaching less impor- 
tance to microsopical researches than his author. 
But whilst congratulating Dr. Carpenter and our readers 
on this fact, we cannot but regret that he has been com- 
pelled to resign the superintendence of another edition of 
his own book. And why? Because, ‘having long since 
relinquished, on his appoimtment to the post he at present 
occupies, the duties of a Teacher of Physiology, and having 
consequently ceased to feel it incumbent upon him to keep 
up with the science in detail, he found that the mass of new 
material which had been accumulated by the industry of 
inquiries in every one of its departments, was far greater than 
lay within his capacity to systematise ; the time and working 
power left at his disposal, by the requirements of his official 
position, being extremely limited.” We can hardly imagine 
any Englishman reading this passage without blushing for 
the honour and reputation of his country. Here is a man of 
great ability, and blessed with special endowments for the 
prosecution of a particular branch of science, coming forward 
and saying, the only reward my countrymen have been able 
to bestow on me for all my scientific work is a clerkship, the 
nature of which occupation renders me utterly incapable of 
pursuing my scientific work. Dr. Carpenter is not a soli- 
tary case. There are other appointments we could name, 
which the Government of this country, in its utter ignorance 
of the nature of science or its aims, have made, which have 
been attended with the like disastrous results. As a reward 
of science men are put into a position where their means of 
prosecuting science are absolutely cut off. We are honestly 
of opinion that unless our ruling authorities are prepared to 
repudiate the notion that they are in earnest about the 
advancement of science, they had better make no such ap- 
pointments as those of Dr. Carpenter at all. Let us have 
our men of science to ourselves. Let us live and die despised 
and in poverty, with at least the comforting thought that we 
have accepted no “ mess of pottage” that has interrupted us 
in the glorious career of advancing true knowledge and lifting 
the dark veil which hangs between man and a knowledge of 
his Creator’s laws. 
We turn over the pages of this new volume of Dr. Carpenter, 
and we feel that it is a disgrace to us as a nation that we are 
doing so little for the advancement of the knowledge of the 
science of physiology. We cannot conceal from ourselves 
that whatever may be the satisfaction with which England 
regards her educational system, that it is from the universities 
of Germany that the light is streaming which gives to 
