126 LOUIS AG A SSI Z. 



on the living and the dead world of fishes 

 may be inferred from the following account 

 of his medical theses. It was written after 

 his death, to his son Alexander Agassiz, by 

 Professor von Siebold, now Director of the 

 Museum in the University of Munich. " How 

 earnestly Agassiz devoted himself to the study 

 of medicine is shown by the theses (seventy- 

 four in number), a list of which was printed, 

 according to the prescribed rule and custom, 

 with his ' Einladung.' I am astonished at the 

 great number of these. The subjects are an- 

 atomical, pathological, surgical, obstetrical ; 

 they are inquiries into materia medica, medi- 

 cina forensis, and the relation of botany to 

 these topics. One of them interested me es- 

 pecially. It read as follows. ' Foemina hu- 

 mana superior mare.' I would gladly have 

 known how your father interpreted that sen- 

 tence. Last fall (1873) I wrote him a letter, 

 the last I ever addressed to him, questioning 

 him about this very subject. That letter, alas ! 

 remained unanswered." 



In a letter to his brother just before taking 

 his degree, Agassiz says : " I am now deter- 

 mined to pursue medicine and natural history 

 side by side. Thank you, with all my heart, 

 for your disinterested offer, but I shall not 



