1858 CONTROVERSY WITH OWEN 205 



It was undoubtedly a bold step to challenge thus 

 openly the man who was acknowledged as the 

 autocrat of science in Britain. Moreover, though 

 he had long felt that on his own subjects he was 

 Owen's master, to begin a controversy was contrary 

 to his deliberate practice. But now he had the 

 choice of submitting to arbitrary dictation or securing 

 himself from further aggressions by dealing a blow 

 which would weaken the authority of the aggressor. 

 For the growing antagonism between him and Owen 

 had come to a head early in the preceding year, 

 when the latter, taking advantage of the permission 

 to use the lecture-theatre at Jermyn Street for the 

 delivery of a paleontological course, unwarrantably 

 assumed the title of Professor of Paleontology at the 

 School of Mines, to the obrious detriment of Huxley's 

 position there. His explanations not satisfying the 

 council of the School of Mines, Huxley broke off all 

 personal intercourse with him. 



and the views enunciated in it carried forward, if somewhat 

 modified, as they have been, not only by Huxley's subsequent 

 researches and by those of his disciples, but especially by the 

 splendid work of Gegenbaur, are still, in the main, the views of the 

 anatomists of to-day." Sir M. FOSTER, Royal Society Obituary 

 Notice of T. H. Huxley. 



