Ill-Health 277 



investigation became rapidly more limited within this 

 period. He was secretary of the Royal Society, a 

 member of the London School Board, president of the 

 British Association, Lord Rector at several imiversities, 

 member of many royal commissions, government in- 

 spector of fisheries, president of the Geological Society. 

 In this multitude of duties it was natural that the 

 bulk of strictly scientific output was limited, but, on the 

 other hand, his literary output was much larger. Be- 

 tween 1880 and 1S90 he had reached the full maturity of 

 a splendid reputation, and honours and duties pressed 

 thick upon him. For part of the time he was presid- 

 ent of the Royal Society, the most distinguished posi- 

 tion to which a scientific man in England can attain, 

 and he was held by the general public at least in as high 

 esteem as by his scientific contemporaries. A small 

 amount of original scientific work still appeared from 

 his pen, but he was occupied chiefly with more general 

 contributions to thought. 



Throughout his life, Huxlej' had never been robust. 

 From his youth upwards he had been troubled by dys- 

 pepsia with its usual accompaniment of occasional fits 

 of severe mental and physical depression. In 1872 he 

 was compelled to take a long holiday in Egypt, and, 

 although he returned to resume full labour, it is doubt- 

 ful if from that time onwards he recovered even the 

 strength normal to him. In 1885, his ill-health became 

 grave ; in the following years he had two attacks of 

 pleurisy, and symptoms of cardiac mischief became 

 pressing. He gradually withdrew from his official 

 posts, and, in 1890, retired to Eastbourne, where he 

 had built himself a house on the Downs. The more 

 healthy conditions and the comparative leisure he per- 

 mitted himself had a good effect, and he was able to 



