Thomas Huxley, William Flower 283 



structural life-history of the Ascidians, wrote on the 

 Mollusca, and undertook a series of investigations into 

 fossil vertebrate forms, researched on Aphis and on croco- 

 diles, cleared up the mystery of the vertebrate skull, 

 and, in fact, covered an extremely wide area of investi- 

 gation. But Huxley was not only a great morphologist, 

 he was a great teacher and a great organiser. His text 

 books on the comparative anatomy of the Vertebrate and 

 of the Invertebrata were the starting points of many a 

 zoologist's career. His " Elementary Biology," which he 

 wrote in collaboration with Newail Martin, marks an epoch. 

 He was also a great lecturer, and although not fond of public 

 speaking, he was remarkably able, concise, and even 

 eloquent. He spared no pains, and would write and re- 

 write an address until he had got it into what he considered 

 a satisfactory form. Further, as he himself wrote of 

 Priestley, he was " a man and a statesman before he was 

 a philosopher," and Huxley took a leading part in public 

 affairs, sat on a large number of Royal Commissions and 

 departmental committees. He was a member of the first 

 School Board of the City of London, and by his popular 

 lectures made a real attempt to interest the working men 

 and all others in the importance of science. He was, for a 

 time, the Biological Secretary of the Royal Society, and in 

 this post took a large part in organizing the Challenger 

 Expedition of 1872-1876. He was elected President of the 

 Royal Society, but four years later was compelled to resign 

 on account of ill-health. He was the recipient of innumerable 

 honorary degrees and memberships of foreign societies, and 

 in 1892 was honoured by being made a Privy Councillor. 



Owen's successor, Sir William Flower (1831-1899), was 

 trained at the University of London as a medical man, and 

 after touring on the Continent, he joined the army, and 

 was assistant surgeon hi the 63rd Regiment during the 

 Crimean Campaign, the trials of which were so severe that 

 his health was affected, and he had to retire from the army 

 and return to London. For a time he practised, but in 

 1861, was appointed Conservator of the Museum of the 

 Royal College of Surgeons, and here he found his career. 

 This unique museum was greatly increased under Flower. 



