52 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



came to a close there might be national funds available 

 for assisting them in the research which they had under- 

 taken for some time past, and which he could not doubt 

 would, with the opening of those new buildings, be 

 largely stimulated and increased, and that thereby they 

 might be assisted by them to solve problems which were 

 great and national. (Applause.) There was also the 

 very important question of the connection of human 

 disease with shellfish. They wanted to find out to what 

 extent there was contamination in shellfish, and also what 

 was not dangerous to the human frame. It was really of 

 the very greatest possible importance that they should 

 know how to protect human beings from the danger of 

 eating contaminated shellfish. He believed that the 

 formation of that department of the University, and its 

 collaboration with the Sea Fisheries Committee, was 

 likely to assist in the solution of some problems which 

 affected an industry in which an immense amount of 

 capital was invested — an industry that employed a very 

 large number of his Majesty's subjects in the trade of 

 fishing, and an industry which was the best training of 

 all others for the manning of our Navy, and, above all, 

 which provided one of the most important sources of food 

 supply for the people of all classes, but more particularly 

 for the poorest of the poor. It would also tend to assist 

 the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries in discharging 

 its duties of supervising and regulating the sea-fishing 

 industry all round our coasts. He hoped that all who had 

 worked in these Laboratories of the University would be 

 stimulated to greater efforts by the better buildings in 

 which they would be housed, and that they would show 

 their gratitude to the University, and to those who had 

 so liberally provided the funds, by doing more and better 

 work, and that the result of it would be to the advantage 



