INTERMEDIATE MEETING.* 

 Co.MMANDER Heath, R.N., in the Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and continned, and the 

 following election was announced : — 



A. E. Molony, Esq., Indian Civil Service, India. 

 A lecture was then delivered upon — 



Design as Exemplified in the Forimation of the 

 Human Foot. By Gerard Smith, Esq., M.R.C.S. 



The author stated that he had selected the hunutn foot as a 

 "concrete example" in proof of a greater "abstract principle," 

 this principle being that the animal body exhibits proof of pur- 

 pose and design in structure, and of being formed /^r its Avork, as 

 opposed to the contention that the bod}- is an imperfect result of 

 the actions of enviror.ment, and formed hy its work, not merely 

 modified thereby. 



The human foot offered a valuable example in support of this 

 principle, because its mechanical arrangement Avas so unique, being 

 human egsentially, and ministering to the unique human physical 

 advantage, that of the peifect erect posture. 



He said that the arguments advanced to support the denial of 

 design, or the assertion that design, if present, is a bad one, involved 

 the further assertions that the deformities of the human body — 

 those of the feet specially, when they are of that class due to failure 

 in duly discharging the functions of the feet (not in reference to 

 deformities caused by disease, as pai-alysis, etc.) — are iuvitrd and 

 precipitated by the inherent defects of the structure ; defects 

 which, if the foot is designed, have been introduced of set pui'pose, 

 to inflict suffering, etc. 



In justification of these imputations the lecturer brought foi ward 

 demonstrations that the foundations of such arguments are 

 fallacious, and are entirely misconceptions of the meaning of the 

 structure of the foot. 



That, though there exist possibilities of failure, since these 

 are necessary parts of the design, with every one of such possibili- 

 ties there is an efficient provision against deformity, the disregard 

 of which (or denial of their presence, Avhich must be held to be 

 consistent in holding the major premise of materialism) is the real 

 cause of deformities of this type, and also robs cripples of the 

 provided means for their relief, whilst the methods of physical 

 education of children, based upon theories of the kind, are 

 rendered faulty. 



A binef discussion ensued. 



* April 1:3, 1898. 



