i875 LETTERS TO DARWIN 471 



31 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, May 19, 1875. 



My dear Darwin — Playfair has sent a copy of his bill to 

 me, and I am sorry to find that its present wording is such as 

 to render it very unacceptable to all teachers of physiology. In 

 discussing the draft with Litchfield I recollect that I insisted 

 strongly on the necessity of allowing demonstrations to students, 

 but I agreed that it would be sufficient to permit such demon- 

 strations only as could be performed under anjesthetics. 



The second clause of the bill, however, by the words " for the 

 purpose of new scientific discovery and for no other purpose," ab- 

 solutely prohibits any kind of demonstration. It would debar me 

 from showing the circulation in the web of a frog's foot or from 

 exhibiting the pulsations of the heart in a decapitated frog. 



And by its secondary effect it would prohibit discovery. 

 Who is to be able to make discoveries unless he knows of his 

 own knowledge what has been already made out? It might 

 as well be ruled that a chemical student should begin with 

 organic analysis. 



Surely Burdon Sanderson did not see the draft of the bill as 

 it now stands. The Professors here are up in arms about it, 

 and as the papers have associated my name with the bill I shall 

 have to repudiate it publicly unless something can be done. But 

 what in the world is to be done ? I have not written to Playfair 

 yet, and shall wait to hear from you before I go. I have an ex- 

 cellent class here, 340 odd, and like the work. Best regards to 

 Mrs. Darwin. — Ever yours faithfully, T. H. Huxley. 



31 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh, June 5, 1875. 



My dear Darwin — I see I have forgotten to return Play- 

 fair's letter, which I inclose. He sent me a copy of his last letter 

 to you, but it did not reach me till some days after my return 

 from London. In the meanwhile I saw him and Lord Card- 

 well at the House of Commons on Friday (last week). 



Playfair seems rather disgusted at our pronunciamento 

 against the bill, and he declares that both Sanderson and 

 Sharpey assented to it. What they were dreaming about I cannot 

 imagine. To say that no man shall experiment except for purpose 

 of original discovery is about as reasonable as to ordain that no 

 man shall swim unless he means to go from Dover to Calais. 



However the Commission is to be issued, and it is everything 

 to gain time and let the present madness subside a little. I 

 vowed I would never be a member of another Commission if I 

 could help it, but I suppose I shall have to serve on this. 

 31 



