302 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE. 



in the prefatory footnote to the translation of Bell's last paper on the 

 ' Nerves of the Face, ' of 1829, printed in the tenth volume of the 

 ' Journal de Physiologie,' 1830, p. 1, and is as follows : — 



' Je me suLs toujoure fait un devoir de presenter aux lecteurs de ce Journal 

 les travaux anatomiques de M. Ch. Bell. Son esprit investigateur bien qu'un 

 peu speculatif, sa grande habilete dans l'art de dissequer, et 60n rare talent 

 pour le dessin, lui aseureront toujours une place distinguee parmi les anato- 

 mistes de notre epoque. Pourquoi faut-il que ce eavant nuise a ses travaux, 

 se nuise a lui-meme en ne rendant pas a ees emules la justice qui leur est due ? 

 Pourquoi conserve-t-il ce patriotisme barbare qui repousse tout ce qui n'est pas 

 du pays ? Pourquoi garde-t-il des pretentions a des decouvertes qu'il n'a pas 

 faites ? Sans doute parce que tel est son caractere, et qu'il n'est pas facile de 

 se changer, quand meme on en sentirait le desir. D'ailleurs ce travers, que 

 notre franchise se penuet de blamer en lui, est peut-etre le mobile qui l'excite 

 au travail, et alors voudrions-nous reellement qu'il ne l'eut pas? ' 



2. Bell's Valedictory Letter of 1830. — Bell's estimate of his own 

 qualifications as a physiologist is most clearly conveyed in his vale- 

 dictory address of November 25, 1830, on resigning the chair of physio- 

 logy of the University of Ijondon, and printed under the title: Mr. 

 Bell's Letter to his Pupils of the London University, on Taking Leave 

 of Them:— 



' I had my lesser and personal grievances. To those who know how little 

 I value physiology, in the common acceptation of the term, it will be a proof 

 of my desire to see the experiment of a new school fairly tried that I submitted 

 to be called professor of a science (if science it be) on which an inceptor candi- 

 date for medical degrees would l'ead lectures more readily than I could. You 

 are aware that the subjects on which 1 lectured were the higher departments 

 of anatomy — that I reasoned on a demonstration in which my knowledge of 

 anatomy and my experience of disease came into use as laying the foundation 

 of just principles in the practice of your profession. If you will call to recollec- 

 tion any one lecture, or take the last of all as an instance, you will see how 

 little the subject-matter of my lecture corresponds with the title put upon them. 



' It has been imputed to me as a fault that I wished to preside over the 

 anatomical department. I avow this ; and I entered the University on that 

 understanding. But this on my part was no assumption of superiority, beyond 

 what time, study, and experience give to every man.' 



