CHAPTER VIII 



LATER WORK AT LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS 



In 1863 Professor Owen resigned the Hunterian 

 Professorship at the Royal College of Surgeons, 

 which he had held since he had relinquished the 

 Conservatorship of the Museum two years previously. 

 On Friday evening, April 25, Flower wrote to 

 Huxley, with whom he was on terms of steady 

 friendship, which lasted till the Professor's death : — 



My dear Huxley — At a meeting of the Court of Examiners 

 this evening, it was unanimously decided that " there's not a man 

 in all Athens that can discharge Pyramus" {i.e. the Hunterian 

 Professorship) but you. Will you therefore take steps to obtain 

 the necessary qualifications ? Perhaps you can come here some 

 day soon and talk to the Secretary about what certificates will be 

 required ? The President told me that he should endeavour to 

 make the examination itself as comfortable as possible for you 

 under the circumstances, but the formalities must be complied 

 with. You can come up the week after next, any evening that 

 suits you best. I am exceedingly rejoiced myself at the prospect 

 of the new " Hunterian Professor," though I don't know what 

 our illustrious predecessor will say. 



Huxley was elected to the post, which brought 

 him and Flower into close professional as well as 

 friendly relations for some years. 



