20 THOMAS HENRY HUXLEY 



account of the mode of action of the rasping-organ (odon- 

 tophore) has been taken over implicitly by many subse- 

 quent observers. But the theoretical matter is of 

 much greater interest, endeavouring as it does to explain 

 various molluscan forms as variants of the same primitive 

 type, which is reconstructed in detail. The particular 

 molluscs employed as the basis of the work were some- 

 what unfortunately chosen, while the Tunicates and 

 Bryozoa (moss-polypes) are too closely associated with 

 the Mollusca, but though some of the conclusions reached 

 would not now be accepted, the memoir will always re- 

 main as a brilliant piece of speculative investigation, far in 

 advance of the time when it was written. The impor- 

 tance attached to embryological evidence in the deter- 

 mination of affinities marks the influence of the veteran 

 embryologist. Von Baer. 



As an outcome of his researches on Medusse, the Royal 

 Society now awarded the Royal Medal for Physiology to 

 Huxley (Nov. 30, 1852), thus still further emphasizing 

 the high position he had already secured in the scientific 

 world. He and the other medallists were entertained at 

 the anniversary dinner of the Society held on the same 

 day, and he then spoke in moderate though unmistakable 

 terms of the delayed grant to which allusion has already 

 been made. The way in which this speech was received 

 clearly shows that the leading exponents of science fully 

 sympathized with him in his position as regards the 

 Admiralty, a sympathy indeed of which there had already 

 been abundant proof. 



The year 1852 also marks the commencement of 

 Huxley's career as a lecturer, for on April 30 he delivered 

 a discourse on " Animal Individuality " at the Royal Insti- 

 tution (Proc. Roy. Inst., i, 185 1 -4, pp. 184-9. Sci. 

 Mem., i, xvi, p. 146). Remembering the popularity to 



