LIFE OF FLOWER 33 



are attached to the College have grown up chiefly in 

 consequence of one of the conditions under which the 

 Hunterian Collection was entrusted to it by Government 

 that a course of no less than twenty-four lectures 

 shall be delivered annually by some member of the 

 College upon Comparative Anatomy and other subjects, 

 illustrated by the preparations." 



For some years previously to Professor Quekett's 

 death the offices of Conservator of the Museum of the 

 College and of Hunterian Professor of Anatomy had been 

 disassociated ; the occupant of the professorial chair at 

 the date in question being the late Professor T. H. 

 Huxley, while, as already mentioned, Quekett held the 

 Conservatorship. At an earlier date the two offices had, 

 however, been held conjointly ; Owen having fulfilled the 

 duties of both for a period of no less than twenty-five 

 years. 



It may be added that, from the varied nature of the 

 collections under his charge, the Conservator is expected 

 to have a knowledge not only of comparative anatomy 

 and zoology, but likewise of palaeontology, physiology, 

 surgery, and pathology. 



Such a wide range of knowledge is possible to few 

 men at the present day, but it was possessed to a very 

 considerable extent by Mr. Flower, even at this com- 

 paratively early stage of his career ; and as the appoint- 

 ment was congenial to his tastes, he applied for, and in 

 due course was elected to, the Conservatorship. The 

 acceptance of this involved the complete abandonment 

 of practice as a surgeon a course of action which, 

 I believe, was never regretted. For eight years Mr. 

 Flower discharged the duties of the Conservatorship to 

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