Vice- President's Address. 3 



therefore content myself with references to the more out- 

 standing facts, arranging them in relation to the systems 

 in which they occur. Of course, in such an exceedingly 

 complex and highly specialised organism as man, there are 

 numberless opportunities for variation, and, as a matter of 

 fact, variations are of constant occurrence. Therefore the 

 descriptions in an anatomical text-book are merely state- 

 ments of average conditions. When a variation is so pro- 

 nounced as to become an ahnormality , we endeavour to 

 account for the condition by reference to embryology or to 

 evolution. I^evertheless there are many conditions of 

 normal parts which find their most intelligent explanation 

 in terms of evolution. Further, it is not merely by reference 

 to rudimentary structures of an historical kind that we find 

 evidences of an evolutionary process, but the condition of 

 normal organs is frequently capable of being interpreted as 

 showing the most advanced forms of their evolution. 



I. The Integumentary System. 



(a) The Skin, — We are all familiar with the general 

 characters, structure, and functions of the skin, but it pre- 

 sents special features which are worthy of attention. The 

 first of these is found in the palm of the hand and sole of 

 the foot. In these regions the papillae, which are everywhere 

 characteristic of the skin, are arranged to form rows separated 

 by intervening furrows. This arrangement has generally 

 been associated with the sense of touch. Undoubtedly these 

 ridges may endow the skin with a certain discriminating 

 quality, but the fact remains that the skin thus constructed 

 is not the most sensitive in the body, nor can the mere 

 question of sensitiveness account for the constancy with 

 which the sweat-ducts open upon the summits of the ridges 

 and never in the intervening furrows. Further, in certain 

 precise areas of the palm and sole, the papillary ridges are 

 arranged in relation to a definite plan. Thus, while they are 

 for the most part situated transversely to the long axis of the 

 palm, sole, and digits, they nevertheless form patterns upon 

 raised areas which are constant in position, although the 



