no PROFESSOR OWEN ch. iv. 



editor's labours in making known the thoughts and 

 works of the founder of philosophical surgery.' 

 The work itself was received with no little inte- 

 rest, partly perhaps because there was a special 

 history attached to it. 



When John Hunter died in 1793, he left a con- 

 siderable quantity of MSS. behind him. These 

 MSS., which were in the custody of his executor, 

 Sir Everard Home, soon afterwards mysteriously 

 disappeared, and on investigation it was dis- 

 covered that the baronet had ruthlessly com- 

 mitted them to the flames. This strange 

 proceeding gave rise to considerable suspicion 

 against Sir Everard. It was well known that 

 he himself was given to natural history pursuits, 

 ana, although not a man of eminent ability, 

 was the author of scientific papers announcing 

 certain small but not uninteresting discoveries. 

 It was, therefore, surmised that he was indebted to 

 Hunter's MSS. for his discoveries, and had burnt 

 the original papers in order to avoid detection. 3 

 Unfortunately for Home's reputation, but fortu- 

 nately for the literary and scientific world, William 

 Clift, Hunter's favourite pupil and assistant, had 

 made a practice of copying out these MSS., and 

 having for about half a century carefully kept his 

 work, handed it over in his later days to Owen to 

 use it as he thought best. 



Apart from this story, the two volumes of 



3 See Charleswortlfs Geological Journal, 1846. 



