576 



NATURE 



[October 13, 1898 



animatograph, the episcope and skiopticon, and also very 

 perfect arrangements for the projection of the spectrum. 

 The Physiological Department contains, in addition, large 

 rooms for : — Chemical physiology with separate work- 

 places for over fifty students, and fuller accommodation 

 for about six research workers ; physical physiology 

 enabling a class of more than thirty to carry out exercises 

 on muscle and nerve at one time, each student's place 

 being provided with electric light, water, gas, electric 

 wire for supply of current, induction coil, electric battery, 

 recording drum driven by fixed pulleys from the shafting 

 running above the table, electric keys, and heliostat 

 apparatus, &c. ; histology with accommodation for about 

 eighty students, with adjoining preparation and store 

 rooms ; also smaller chemical rooms, professor's private 

 and photographic rooms, room for experiments in electro- 

 physiology, and a smaller theatre for the demonstration 

 of experiments. The Pathological Department has large 

 rooms for : — Morbid histology with work-places for sixty 

 students ; bacteriological work with suction and force 

 pumps for filtering, a bacterial mill for pulverising 

 bacteria, and a plentiful supply of steam at high pressure 

 to conduct the various boiling operations. There are 

 also rooms for chemical pathology, museum preparator's 

 work, incubators at constant temperature, private ex- 

 perimental work, pathological diagnosis society, bacterio- 

 logical work of the city, gas analysis, and the professors' 

 private rooms. Briefly stated the special features of the 

 pathological laboratories are the impervious opaline 

 slabs covering the tops of the work-benches, and 

 diminishing the risk of contamination and facilitating 

 cleaning, the use of steam for boiling operations, a 

 plentiful electric supply workmg the lamps and the 

 numerous motors, and a specially high-pressure water 

 supply, and lastly the refrigerator chamber. Through- 

 out the Thompson-Yates laboratories are fitted up in 

 the most complete and perfect manner, both for teaching 

 and research ; and the favourable opinions which have 

 been so freely expressed by the distinguished scientific 

 visitors during the opening and following days may be 

 briefly summed up in the quotation from Prof. Michael 

 Foster's happy and stimulating speech at the banquet, 

 that " they (the laboratories) produced two physiological 

 effects— they took one's breath away, and they made 

 one's mouth water." 



The invitation from the Council and Senate of 

 University College to the opening function was accepted 

 by a large number of distinguished men of science and 

 representatives of universities and medical schools from 

 all parts of the country, including Lord Lister and Lord 

 Kelvin, Earl Spencer and the Earl of Derby, the Bishops 

 of Ripon, Carlisle, Chester and Liverpool, Prof. Virchow, 

 Sir S. Wilks (President of the College of Physicians), 

 the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University, Prof. M. 

 Foster and Prof. Burdon Sanderson, the Presidents of 

 the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Edin- 

 burgh, Sir W. Turner, Sir W. Gairdner, Sir Douglas 

 Galton, Sir A. Geikie, Sir J. Crichton Browne, Mr. R. B. 

 Haldane, M.P., Mr. Justice Kennedy, Sir James Russell, 

 Prof Rutherford, Dr. Lauder Brunton, Captain Abney, 

 Prof Riicker, Prof Poulton, Prof. Gotch, Prof. Kan- 

 thack, Sir R. Thome Thorne, Prof. Schafer, and many 

 others. These guests, for the most part in their academic 

 robes, walked in procession with the civic authorities, 

 the University and College staff, forming a ceremonial 

 that for stateliness, brilliance, and interest has probably 

 never been equalled before in Liverpool. 



The scientific and medical guests arrived in Liverpool 

 on Friday, and that day and Sunday were given up to 

 private hospitality and informal meetings at the College 

 and elsewhere ; while Saturday, October 8, was the date 

 of the University Degree ceremony and the formal 

 opening of the new laboratories. 



The University function was arranged to take place 



NO. 151 I, VOL. 58] 



in St. George's Hall ; and there, in the presence of the 

 Lord Mayor and Corporation, the staff, graduates and 

 students of the University, the distinguished guests, and 

 a large concourse of citizens of Liverpool, the honorary 

 degree of Doctor of Science was conferred upon Lord 

 Lister by Earl Spencer, the Chancellor of the Victoria 

 University. 



Lord Lister was presented for the degree by Dr. 

 Richard Caton, Chairman of the Medical Faculty, and 

 formerly Professor of Physiology in University College ; 

 and both the Chancellor and Dr. Caton in their speeches 

 drew attention to Lister's immortal life-work in the anti- 

 septic methods of surgery, and to the benefits conferred 

 thereby upon humanity and the lower animals. 



After Lord Lister had been admitted to the degree by 

 the Chancellor, and had signed the roll of graduates, 

 the Principal of University College (Mr. R. T. Glaze- 

 brook, F.R.S.) made a statement as to the history of the | 

 medical school and of the erection of the new labor- | 

 atories by Mr. Thompson-Yates. The generous donor 

 himself was unable to be present, but a letter from him 

 was read expressing good wishes. 



Lord Lister then delivered a short address, for which 

 a vote of thanks was proposed by the Lord Mayor of 

 Liverpool, and seconded (in the absence of Lord Derby) 

 by Mr. W. Rathbone, Vice-President of the College. 



Lord Lister pointed out in eloquently simple language 

 the necessity for such laboratories in medical education, 

 their importance both in teaching and research, and the 

 benefits they were calculated to confer upon the College, 

 upon Liverpool, and upon the neighbourhood. Lord 

 Lister then, with a boldness and wisdom which com- 

 pelled admiration, made a dignified statement as to the 

 utility and humanity of experiments upon animals, which 

 coming from such a man on such an occasion cannot but 

 have a most beneficial effect. He concluded this part of 

 his address with the sentence, " While I deeply respect 

 the humane feelings of those who object to this class of 

 inquiry, I assure them that, if they knew the truth, they 

 would commend and not condemn them." 



After the function in St. George's Hall, the company 

 proceeded to University College, where the brief cere- 

 mony of declaring the laboratories open was performed 

 by Lord Lister, after the presentation of a key in a silver 

 casket had been made by the Chairman of the College 

 Council. A similar key was retained for presentation to 

 Mr. Thompson-Yates. Lord Lister and the large as- 

 sembly of invited guests were then conducted in parties 

 through the laboratories ; other parts of the College were 

 also visited. Tea and refreshments were served in the 

 Victoria building ; and, finally, the Lord Mayor's banquet 

 at the Town Hall in the evening brought to a conclusion 

 the formal proceedings of what stands out as the first 

 great University function in Liverpool. 



College functions have been frequent ; noble buildings 

 and new laboratories belonging to University College 

 have been opened before ; but now for the first time the 

 professors and students appeared not merely as members 

 of the College, but of the Victoria University. Liverpool 

 is to be congratulated not only upon the splendid new 

 laboratories, not only upon the impressive ceremonial of 

 their inauguration, but also upon the fact that the first 

 honorary degree conferred by her University, in the 

 City, has been bestowed upon such a man as Lord 

 Lister. 



THE OPENING ADDRESSES AT THE 

 MEDICAL SCHOOLS. 



IN respect of an opening address there seems at the 

 medical schools no fixed rule ; in some cases the first 

 year's student plunges in medias res, and the first word he 

 receives from his teachers is actually work ; in others a 

 more or less philosophical discourse, often, it must be 



