1824-33 ABERNETHY PROVOKED TO ANGER 31 



and quite pleasant in his manner. The result of 

 the meeting was, that Abernethy offered him the 

 post of prosector for his lectures. The prosector, 

 amongst other obvious advantages, was not at 

 the expense of purchasing his own subjects for 

 dissection — no inconsiderable item of expenditure 

 then ; and further, the subjects provided for the 

 lectures were in a much sounder and fresher con- 

 dition, comparatively speaking, than was usually 

 the case in those body-snatching days. 



From such a chief as Abernethy, Owen could 

 not fail to profit. As a rule he fared well at the 

 hands of his Professor ; but on one occasion he 

 provoked Abernethy to anger. The lecture was 

 on the human kidney, which Owen had duly 

 prepared ; but unfortunately, in the process of 

 preparation the part known as the suprarenal 

 capsule came off, owing most likely to its not 

 being quite so fresh as it might have been, and 

 in a great hurry the prosector carefully fixed it 

 on again — but to the wrong end of the kidney. 

 Abernethy's explanations were somewhat far ad- 

 vanced before he found this out, and not looking 

 very closely at the specimen he held in his hand, 

 he was elaborately describing its structure, as if it 

 had been a normal kidney. When he discovered 

 the error committed, he did not let the occasion 

 pass without bestowing a few flowers of speech 

 upon his young friend. 



In the same year Owen was elected a member 



