326 SATUKDAY LECTURES. 



ogeny and polygeny, or tlie doctrine of the origin of the 

 human race from one source or from many. The Ethno- 

 logical Society of Paris, founded, as I have before stated, 

 by William Edwards, having ended its discussions upon 

 this subject, and finding nothing more to say, itself came 

 to an end in 1848. Ten years later, Broca, who had arrived 

 at some conclusions upon human hybridity which he de- 

 sired to make known, communicated them to the Society of 

 Biology. But the 3'oung discoverer had yet to learn what 

 jmsillanimity could do to retard investigation. His re- 

 markable memoir demonstrated the unlimited fecundity of 

 human hybrids, and as this was opposed to the doctrines of 

 the monogenists, Rayer, the President of the Society, re- 

 Cjuested Broca to desist from further communications. The 

 memoir " On animal hybridity in general, and on human 

 hybridity in particular," was published in the Journal de. 

 la physiologie. It was afterward translated by Dr. Carter 

 Blake for the London Society of Anthropology, and was 

 published in their memoirs. This condition of things made 

 it evident that a new society was needed, and Broca con- 

 ceived the idea of a Society of Anthropology. 



Broca's plan was to start with not less than twenty mem- 

 bers. Six from the Society of Biology joined him, but 

 others, including the members of the defunct Society of 

 Ethnology, turned a deaf ear to his solicitations. After a 

 year's efforts, he had onl}^ nineteen signatures, including his 

 own. He met with every obstacle from those in authority ; 

 M. Rouland, the Minister of Public Instruction, sent him to 

 the Prefect of Police, who, in turn, sent him to the Minister 

 of Public Instruction. Their purpose was to weary him 

 out, for with the perspicacity usual in such functionaries, 

 they firmly believed that the novel term, anthropology, 

 covered some form of political conspiracy. Finally, thanks 

 to the intervention of Professor Tardieu, a chief of division of 

 the prefecture of police was induced to authorize the nineteen 

 to form their society and hold meetings. He held Broca, 

 however, personally responsible- for anything which might 

 be said by his associates which should appear to be an 



