8 



NA TURE 



[July i, 1909 



The proceedings on June 23 were opened in the 

 Senate House by the following address from the 

 Chancellor of the University, Lord Rayleigh. 



The Chancellor's Address. 



In opening the proceedings to-day I must first, in the 

 name of the University, bid welcome to the delegates and 

 other guests wlio have honoured us by their presence. A 

 glance at the list will show that we have assembled here 

 distinguished men from all parts of the world who have 

 willingly responded to our invitation ; and, indeed, the 

 occasion is no ordinary one. We have met to celebrate 

 the centenary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 

 fiftieth anniversary of the publication of the " Origin of 

 Species." I am old enough to remember something of 

 the stir caused by the latter event. To many the results 

 of Darwin's speculations were unwelcome, and it must 

 be confessed remain so, at least in their application to 

 the origin of man. Fifty years ago it would have been 

 thought a strange prophesy if anyone had predicted to- 

 day's celebration. We may perhaps take it as proven 

 that Cambridge is not held so fast in the bonds of 

 medisevalism as some would have us suppose. We are 

 prepared to face whatever strict methods of investigation 

 may teach to be the truth. I need not remind you that 

 on many important questions raised by Darwin's labours 

 opinions still differ, and I imagine that he would proudly 

 recognise as disciples some of the distinguished biologists 

 who meet here to do honour to his name. I do not 

 attempt even the briefest survey of these labours. We 

 shall presently hear appreciations from men of distinction 

 well qualified to instruct us. What appeals to all is the 

 character of the man, loved by everyone who knew him, 

 and admired by everyone with a spark of the scientific 

 spirit. It is a pleasure and a stimulus to think of him, 

 working on in spite of ill-health in his study, in his 

 garden, and in his hot-houses, and from his retirement 

 moving the minds of thinking men in a manner almost 

 without parallel. I esteem myself fortunate that a visit 

 nearly forty-one years ago, which I owed to my friend, 

 now Sir G. Darwin, allows me to picture the scene. I 

 was struck, as were others, with his wonderful modesty. 

 On my propounding some difficulty in connection with 

 colour vision and the theory which attributed the colours 

 of flowers to the preference of insects, I remember that 

 he asked time for consideration before making a reply. 

 His enthusiasm also impressed me much. This character- 

 istic must have remained. Commenting on it only a short 

 time before the death of both of them, Frank Balfour, 

 himself a strenuous and sympathetic worker, remarked to 

 me that he wished he could be as much interested in his 

 own subject as Darwin was in other people's subjects. 



During the last generation Cambridge has been active in 

 biological work. We have the men and the ideas, but 

 the difficulty has always been lack of funds. At the pre- 

 sent time it is desired, among other things, to establish 

 a chair of genetics, a subject closely associated with the 

 name of Darwin and of his relative Francis Gallon, and 

 of the greatest possible importance, whether it be re- 

 garded from the purely scientific or from the practical 

 side. I should like to think that the interest aroused 

 by this celebration would have a practical outcome in 

 better provision for the further cultivation in his own 

 university and in that of his sons of the field wherein 

 Darwin laboured. 



At the conclusion of the Chancellor's address the 

 presentation took place of the addresses by delegates 

 from America, Austria-Hungary, Belg-ium, Denmark, 

 Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, and Italv. 

 Short speeches were then delivered by Prof. O. 

 Hertwig and Prof. E. Metchnikoff. 



Prof. Hertwig referred to the influence of Darwin's 

 work upon German biology, particularly at Jena. It 

 was through Haeckel, who hailed Darwinism with delight, 

 and said that evolution was the key of man's destiny, 

 that the theory became predominant in German science. 

 It had been the starting point for all the researches of 

 the younger men, and had entered into the life of the 



NO. 2070, VOL. 81] 



German people. Earlier this year festivals in commemora- 

 tion of Darwin's work were held in Hamburg, iVIunich, 

 Frankfurt, and other towns in Germany. The celebration 

 at Cambridge was the acme of these festivals, and would 

 give an immense stimulus to the scientific work of the 

 delegates privileged to be present at it. The influence of 

 Cambridge upon Darwin was great and beneficial, and 

 particular mention must be made of the encouragement 

 received from Henslow. Three bright stars had appeared 

 in the scientific firmament of the University, the last 

 being Darwin and the two others Harvey and Newton. 



Prof. Metchnikoff in his address referred to the debt 

 which medical science owes to the theory of organic evolu- 

 tion founded by Darwin. Diseases undergo evolution in 

 accordance with the Darwinian law, and the recognition 

 of this fact led to the science of comparative pathology. 

 It is possible definitely to show that inflammation is an 

 act of defence on the part of the organism against morbid 

 agents, and that this reaction is effected by certain cellular 

 elements, together with a complicated and wonderful 

 nervous and vascular mechanism. The same elements play 

 an important part in resisting disease. The preponderating 

 influence of the cellular action in the mechanism of 

 immunity is admitted by the great majority of observers. 

 Recently experimental medicine has been investigating the 

 phenomena of adaptation in pathogenic microbes, by virtue 

 of which we are able to attack the organism in spite 

 of its defensive powers, and this is most probably effected 

 by the selection of individual microbes endowed with 

 special properties. This has happened with the micro- 

 organism of recurrent fever. With regard to cancer, the 

 theory must be rejected that it is caused by stray embryonic 

 cells, shut off and remaining latent, on the ground of 

 evolution, because the lower animals, which also possess 

 embryonic cells, never suffer from malignant growths 

 except when they are provoked by external agents. It is 

 therefore very probable that cancer in man is equally 

 caused by some external agent, some virus which has 

 been diligently sought, but has not yet been found. 



Addresses were then presented by delegates from 

 Japan, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, 

 and Switzerland, and by delegates from the British 

 colonies and the British Isles, ."^fter the English 

 delegates had been presented. Sir Archibald Geikie, 

 K.C.B., president of the Royal Society, said that 

 the society desired to mark the importance of that 

 occasion by having a special copy of the Darwin medal 

 stiuck in sold for the acceptance of the University. 

 It will be remembered that the medal owes its 

 existence to the committee of the International 

 Darwin Memorial Fund, which in iSSj transferred 

 to the Royal Society the balance of the fund, in 

 trust, to devote the proceeds from time to time toward 

 the promotion of biological studies and research. The 

 first award was made to Dr. Alfred Russel Wallace 

 in i8go. Lord Rayleigh was the secretary of the 

 society when the medal was cast. It was, therefore. 

 Sir Archibald Geikie continued, a very great pleasure 

 to the Roval Society to have it in its power to hand 

 to Lord Rayleigh, for acceptance of the L'niversity, 

 a copy of the Darwin medal. 



The following' address was then delivered by Dr. 

 Henry Fairfield Osborn, the delegate of the American 

 Philosophical Society : — • 



Prof. Henry F. Osborn. 



Crossing the Atlantic in honour of Darwin and rejoicing 

 in the privilege of uniting in this celebration of his birth, 

 we desire, first of all, to render our tribute to the University 

 of Cambridge. 



To no other institution in any country may we turn with 

 such a sense of filial gratitude. In ever widening growth 

 has been the influence of the Cambridge heritage, as 

 pictured more than four centuries ago in the generous 

 mind of Sir Walter Mildmay, the founder of Emmanuel. 

 " Sir Walter," remarked Queen Elizabeth, " I hear that 

 you have erected a Puritan foundation." " No, madam," 



