36 HUXLEY 



date from this time, including his Manual of Verte- 

 brate Anatomy. In that year, also, a scheme of pub- 

 lishing a series of elementary science books took 

 form under Huxley, Roscoe, and Balfour Stewart. 



In 1872 his health was far from good, dyspepsia 

 causing him great inconvenience. He was also 

 worried with a lawsuit in connection with his house, 

 and the combined physical and mental depression 

 drew forth from his friends a most striking testimony 

 to their opinion of his worth. This is contained in 

 a letter from Charles Dar^vin, in which the writer 

 informs Huxley that eighteen friends had placed 

 £2100 to his account to enable him to take such 

 a complete rest as was necessary to re-establish his 

 health. Huxley accordingly went abroad for some 

 time, visiting the Mediterranean and the Nile, and 

 returning by Italy. He was, however, still far from 

 well until treated by Dr. Andi'ew Clark. Towards 

 the end of 1872 he had the honour of being elected 

 Lord Hector of Aberdeen University. In a subse- 

 quent year (1874) he delivered his Rectorial address 

 on " Universities Actual and Ideal," advocating the 

 claims of natural science in the teaching scheme of 

 a university. In 1873 the new Encyclo'pcBdia Bri- 

 tannica was begun, and Huxley did much work for it, 

 writing, among other articles, that on evolution. 



The year 1875 was remarkable for the fact that 

 it brought forward very prominently the discussion 

 which has ever since raged round the question of 

 vivisection. Huxley was subject to some cruel 

 misrepresentations in this matter, his ovin attitude 

 being that of great personal distaste for this method 

 of work, while still advocating its absolute necessity 

 for physiological and other scientific progress. He 



