126 LIFE OP ALBANY HANCOCK, BY DB. EMBLETON. 



The theory of Phlebenterism, as it was called, was soon at- 

 tacked, and shown to he false, by a rising yonng naval surgeon 

 (since deceased), M. de Souleyet, in a paper presented to the 

 Academie des Sciences, in 1844; and Naturalists in England, 

 Germany, and Italy were astonished at the novelty and boldness 

 of M. de Quatrefages' assertions. So important was the discus- 

 sion considered by the savans of Paris that special commissions 

 for the investigation of the new theory were appointed, by the 

 Academie des Sciences, in 1844, and by the Societe de Biologie, 

 in 1849. 



Both commissions having examined all producible evidence, 

 including that from Newcastle, reported so diametrically against 

 Phlebenterism, that the very name immediately afterwards dis- 

 appeared from the language of science. 



It was the interest in Anatomy and Physiology inspired by 

 the discussion of this theory that determined Albany Hancock to 

 pursue his researches into internal Anatomy, whilst, at the same 

 time, he paid due attention to external characters ; and having 

 once got into the right track of research he never looked back, 

 but pursued the path which led him on to honour and distinction. 



We began with the regular study of Eolis in 1844, and in the 

 January following, the Annals and Magazine of Natural His- 

 tory published the first part of the anatomy of this Mollusk, in 

 1848 the second and third, and in 1849 the last part. 



The investigation of Doris, another genus of Nudibranchs, was 

 next undertaken : the results, embodied in a short summary, 

 were communicated to the Edinburgh Meeting of the British 

 Association in 1850, and afterwards a paper "On the Anatomy 

 of Doris," was read for us, in 1851, by the late Professor E. 

 Eorbes, to the Royal Society, and printed in the Philosophical 

 Transactions for 1852. 



The above-mentioned papers on the anatomy of Eolis contained 

 a more complete description of the organs, particularly those of the 

 digestive, nervous, vascular, and reproductive systems than had 

 up to that time been given, and the degradation to which M. de 

 Quatrefages had condemned these elegant Mollusks was shown 

 to be imaginary. 



