292 ON THE STUDY OF BIOLOGY x 



extent, but still upon somewhat the same 

 principle as here. There is no difficulty, when 

 you have to deal with students of the ages of 

 fifteen or sixteen, in practising a little dissection 

 and in getting a notion of, at any rate, the four 

 or five great modifications of the animal form ; 

 and the like is true in regard to the higher 

 anatomy of plants. 



While, lastly, to all those who are studying 

 biological science with a view to their own edifi- 

 cation merely, or with the intention of becoming 

 zoologists or botanists ; to all those* who intend to 

 pursue physiology and especially to those who 

 propose to employ the working years of their 

 lives in the practice of medicine I say that 

 there is no training so fitted, or which may be of 

 such important service to them, as the discipline 

 in practical biological work which I have sketched 

 out as being pursued in the laboratory hard by. 



I may add that, beyond all these different 

 classes of persons who may profit by the study of 

 Biology, there is yet one other. I remember, a 

 number of years ago, that a gentleman who was a 

 vehement opponent of Mr. Darwin's views and 

 had written some terrible articles against them, 

 applied to me to know what was the best way in 

 which he could acquaint himself with the 

 strongest arguments in favour of evolution. I 

 wrote back, in all good faith and simplicity, 



