GOODSIR ELECTED PROFESSOR. 121 



president of the Royal Society, London, could not get 

 a single vote — perhaps lie blessed himself that he 

 escaped the fate of Servetus ; and the pious Quaker, 

 though his claims were largely European, had to with- 

 draw from the compromising and indefensible requisi- 

 tions of "Tests" and "Oaths"! In Goodsir's case no 

 harm arose ; he was a Presbyterian of the Established 

 Church, and sound to the core of Scottish beliefs, and 

 more partial to the Bible than vast numbers of its 

 teachers, of whom he complained for their scanty use of 

 the " Book " in public worship. On the day of election 

 to the anatomical chair, Mr. Goodsir obtained 22 votes, ■ 

 and Dr. Handyside 11 votes. 



In January 184G Goodsir communicated a paper 

 to the Royal Society, London, " On the Supra-Renal, 

 Thymus, and Thyroid Bodies," that was read by Pro- 

 fessor Owen; and on the 11th June he was elected a 

 Fellow of the society. It was said that his application 

 for the honour of a seat in the Royal Society was 

 signed by the most eminent anatomists and naturalists 

 of the day. He does not seem to have done anything 

 for "The Royal" after obtaining its fellowship, and his 

 visits to the metropolis were by no means frequent. 



The potato-blight that so frightfully ravaged the 

 crops of Great Britain and Ireland from 1845 to 

 L 84 7, and broughl famine and fever to the land, was 

 of loo grave an imporl to eseape Goodsir's attention. 

 He Btudied and read a paper on the subjecl to the 

 Botanical Societ) of Edinburgh (February L2, L846) \ 

 an abstracl of it, and tlir dis< usi ion thereon, is to be 



