APPENDIX B. 



A CRITICISM ON PROF. OWEN'S THEORY OF THE 

 VERTEBRATE SKELETON. 



[From the Beitisii & Foreign Medico-Chirtjkgical Review for Oct., 1858 v 



I. On the Archetype and Homologies of the Vertebrate Skeleton. By 

 Richard Owen, F.R.S. — London, 1848. pp. 172. 



II. 



Paris 



, Principes d 1 Osteologie Comparee, ou Recherches sur V Archetype 

 et les Homologies die Squelette Vertebre. Par Richard Owen. — 



Principles of Comparative Osteology ; or, Researches on the Arcnetype 

 and the Homologies oj the Vertebrate Skeleton. By Richard 

 Owen. 



III. On the Nature of Limbs. A Discourse delivered on Friday, 

 February 9, at an Evening Meeting of the Royal Institution of 

 Great Britain. By Richard Owen, F.R.S. — London, 1849. 

 pp. 119. 



Judging- whether another proves his position is a widely different 

 thing from proving your own. To establish a general law requires 

 an extensive knowledge of the phenomena to be generalized; but to 

 decide whether an alleged general law is established by the evidence 

 assigned, requires merely an adequate reasoning faculty. Especially 

 is such a decision easy where the premises do not warrant the con- 

 clusion. It may be dangerous for one who has but little previous 

 acquaintance with the facts, to say that a generalization is demon- 

 strated ; seeing that the argument may be one-sided : there may be 

 many facts unknown to him which disprove it. But it is 'not 

 dangerous to give a negative verdict when the alleged demonstra- 



