548 



NA TURE 



[OcTOIiER S, 1896 



this the case that, in recognition of his services to the 

 study of archa_^ology in the island and of his untiring 

 energy and good nature as an organiser of the excursion, 

 a number of the members of the party collected a contri- 

 bution towards the expenses of completing this fine series 

 of Manx crosses. The Archa-ological party was greatly 

 •delighted with all the arrangements that had been made 

 for their comfort, and for the facilities that were offered 

 for seeing the wonderfully interesting arch;cological re- 

 mains in Man ; while the presence of the distinguished 

 Swedish Arch;Eologist, Dr. Montelius, with his genial 

 courtesy and unrivalled knowledge of prehistoric arch;e- 

 ology, added greatly to the enjoyment of the excursion." 

 The leaders of the Geological party were Prof. Boyd 

 Dawkins and Mr. (i. W. Lamplugh, of the Geological 

 Survey. Friday was devoted to the investigation of the 

 southern part of the island, including the carboniferous 

 limestone rocks of the Castletown district, the con- 

 temporaneous volcanic series of the Stack of Scarlet, the 

 carboniferous conglomerates of Langness, the striking 

 unconformability at their base, and the underlying Skid- 

 daw series. The following day, Saturday, was spent on 

 the northern portion of the Skiddaw " massif," and in- 

 cluded the ascent (by electric railway) of Snaefell ; the 

 investigation of the curiously partial metamorphism of 

 the slates on that mountain, and of the sections in Sulby 

 <"ilen, which reveal the breaking up of the bedding and 

 the production of the "crush-conglomerates" described 

 recently by Lamplugh and Watts. On Monday the centre 

 and west of the island were visited, and the sandstones of 

 disputed age at Peel were examined. Stops were made 

 t;n rotift- at Crosby and Rockmount, to see the igneous 

 rocks of different type intrusixe into the Skiddaw series 

 at these places. On the return journey the extensive 

 lead mines at Fo.xdale were visited, and also the granite 

 boss cropping out in that neighbourhood. 



On the last evening of the excursion all the parties — 

 Arch;eological, Geological, Zoological and Botanical — 

 imited in a final banquet at Douglas, when they enter- 

 tained the Governor (Lord Henniker) and some of the 

 leading officials of the island as guests. The company 

 numbered about 120; Prof. Herdman presided, and 

 amongst the seventeen speakers were — the Governor, the 

 Attorney-General, Deemster Gill, the Mayor of Douglas, 

 Profs. Boyd Dawkins, Poulton, Haddon and Pfitzer, Dr. 

 Montelius and Dr. Munro. One subject specially 

 brought forward in several of the speeches was the 

 Mrgent need of a good museum of local natural history 

 (in a wide sense) in the Isle of Man, and the suggestion 

 Avas made that the museum might appropriately be 

 ■erected as a memorial to the great Manx naturalist 

 Edward Forbes. 



The opinion seemed to be very generally expressed 

 that this excursion stood out notably amongst British 

 Association excursions, because of the relatively very 

 large number of recognised investigators and authorities 

 in their own branches of science who took part in it, 

 and because of the solid scientific nature of the pro- 

 gramme throughout the five days. And it may con- 

 fidently be added that this " real work " aspect did not 

 in the least detract from the thoroughly enjoyable 

 character of the gathering. W. A. Herdman. 



SIR JOHN ERIC ERICH SEN, BART., F.R.S. 



OIR JOHN ERICHSEN, who died after a short 

 *--' illness on September 23, was born in 1818. So 

 vigorous was he until the last in mind and body, that few 

 would have suspected that this genial, kindly,and dignified 

 gentleman had attained to the advanced age of seventy- 

 eight. Essentially a practical surgeon, and devoted 

 heart and soul to the advancement of surgery, he was a 

 man of the widest sympathies, and in no way narrowed 

 NO. 1406, VOL. 54] 



or restricted to a groove of professionalism. This may 

 have been due in a measure to the early influence of 

 Sharpey, who appears to have inspired the young 

 surgeon with a keen interest in physiology, for we find 

 his name in 1844 as Secretary to the Physiological 

 Section of the British Association. He was also 

 appointed about the same time to conduct an experi- 

 mental investigation into the phenomena of asphyxia, 

 which resulted in an important essay upon this subject, 

 for which he received the Fothergillian medal of the 

 Royal Humane Society. The claims of his profession 

 soon, however, prevented Erichsen from further develop- 

 ment in the direction of physiological science, and required 

 his entire attention to be devoted to surgery. For 

 already in 1850 he was appointed as the successor of 

 Liston, Syme and Arnott, to the chair of Surgery in 

 University College, and subsequently to the chair of 

 Clinical Surgery ; and one of these posts he continued to 

 occupy during a quarter of a century. This was a 

 brilliant period for operative surgery, although its bril- 

 liancy has been completely eclipsed in the quarter of a 

 century which has succeeded it by the development of 

 the Listerian method. Sir Joseph Lister was himself at 

 one time house surgeon to Erichsen, and is one only, 

 although no doubt the most distinguished, of many 

 eminent surgeons who have left and are leaving their mark 

 upon the scientific progress of their profession, End who 

 owe much for their training to Sharpey and Erichsen. 



Erichsen's " Science and Art of Surgery " is a 

 classical work which appeared in 1S53, and at once 

 established the already won reputation of its author 

 as one of the first surgeons of the day. It has run 

 through many editions and been translated into 

 most European languages, and, under the editorship 

 of the late Marcus Beck and of Mr. Raymond Johnson, 

 it is still in 1 896 regarded as the best exposition of general 

 surgery that we possess. Than this book no better proof 

 could be forthcoming of the remarkable literary, scientific, 

 and surgical attainments of its distinguished author I 



Erichsen became President of the Koyal Medical and 

 Chirurgical Society in 1879, and of the Royal College of 

 Surgeons in 1880, and in 18S1 he was chosen to preside 

 over the Surgical Section of the meeting of the Inter- 

 national Medical Congress in London. He served on 

 the Royal Commission on \'ivisection, and was the first 

 Inspector for England under the .\ct which resulted from 

 the report of that Commission. In 1SS5 he stood for 

 Parliament, on the Liberal side, for the Universities of 

 Edinburgh and St. Andrews, but was unsuccessful. In 

 1S87 his a/iiia mater elected him President of its Council, 

 an honourable post in which he was the successor of 

 Brougham, Grote, Belper and Kimberley, and which 

 he held until his death. The tact and urbanity which he 

 displayed, and the quiet dignity with which he presided 

 over its meetings, and over public meetings at University 

 College during his presidentship, will be remembered by 

 all who have taken part in them of late years. In 

 1895 he was, somewhat tardily, created a Baronet, at 

 the same time as his life-long friend Russell Reynolds, 

 whom he has only survived a few months. Within so 

 short a time of his death it is not easy to speak calmly 

 of the esteem and affection with v/hich .Sir Jolin Erichsen 

 was regarded by all who came under his influence. He 

 was the most judicious of advisers, honourable and 

 straightforward in all his dealings : a thorough gentle- 

 man. One of the most pleasing traits in his character 

 was his uniform readiness to assist and encourage 

 younger men in their pursuit of knowledge and in the 

 practice of their profession. Needless to say that he was 

 popular ; it would have been difticult for the most 

 cantankerous of mortals to remain unsubdued by his 

 uniform kindness and generosity. Erichsen's death leaves 

 a gap w hich it will be difficult to fill, and a reputation such 

 as any man may envy. E. A. ScH.\FER. 



