PREFACE. lit 



Cardinal Gibbons personally requested that the lectures 

 be published in The Catholic Mirror, of Baltimore, Md., 

 and the first two did appear in that paper. Only ap- 

 proved portions of tnem, however, were thus allowed to 

 see the light, and for some reason not given the last 

 two were not printed at all. Another paper, The 

 Catholic, News, of Washington, undertook to pub- 

 lish them in full, and, as in the case with the Mirror, 

 the first two did come out, though my remarks upon the 

 influence of the Inquisition on the labors of early writers 

 in anatomy were carefully suppressed. This newspaper 

 likewise was unable to publish the last two lectures, and, 

 after the appearance in its columns of the first one, its 

 editor was careful to preface each portion as it appeared 

 in part with the following caution, printed in brackets: 

 "The University assumes no responsibility for opinions 

 advanced by lecturers in the public courses." 



After a careful second reading of my "opinions," I have 

 been totally unable to discover a single statement that 

 cannot be most amply sustained by the very best of evi- 

 dence, and doubt whether any fair-minded and intelligent 

 Roman Catholic can do otherwise. 



So much for the history of these lectures, which are 

 now for the first time presented in full to my readers. In 

 most cases science has long been familiar with the facts 

 they set forth; not so, however, I fear, the vast hosts of 

 Catholics in this country, both laymen and clergy. So it 

 is to them, especially, that I dedicate my labors, with 

 the profound hope that they may read and comprehend 

 the truths I have endeavored to convey. 



