64 
Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 
reasons for my opinion. Eut the question rested in my mind, for I saw 
its importance, and after some thought I was able to perfect the 
instrument, which I subsequently exhibited and described to the 
Academy, and which has a certain scientific value. I believe that the 
experience of scientific men, if consulted, could tell many a similar 
story. 
There is another practical suggestion which I would venture to 
ofi'er. "Why should not combinations of two or more scientific men for 
a common purpose be more frequent among us than they are ? The 
history of Science is replete with instances in which such combinations 
have produced the happiest results. Presnel and Arago, Kirchoff 
and Bunsen, Huggins and Miller — these are but a few of the instances 
in which the most important additions to our scientific knowledge 
have been made by the combined powers of two men. And if you have 
followed the train of thought -through which I have endeavoured to 
lead you, you will probably have come to the conclusion, that never in 
the history of Science were such combinations more desirable than they 
are now. If it be true that no part of the scientific domain is so 
fertile as that frontier land, lying between two sciences, and which 
may be fairly said to be the property of both, then it is true that we 
may expect, from the labours of two men combined, far more than 
could be produced by the labours of the same men entirely separated. 
Each man, by his own peculiar training, is able to supply the skill 
and knowledge which the other lacks, and, therefore, to suggest 
expedients which might never occur to the other — to remove difficulties 
which, to the other, might be insurmountable. The method has been 
successfully tried elsewhere, and before. "Why should not we try it 
here and now ? 
I have said so much of the advantages which may flow from an 
alliance between Physics, commonly so called, and Chemistry, that I 
need not dwell upon it further ; but I may observe that a similar 
alliance between Physics and Biology would go far to remedy the 
evil, so bitterly complained of by Comte, that the cultivator of bio- 
logical science is rarely a physicist or a mathematician. Of the ad- 
vantages to be gained from a combination of these powers and pursuits 
in a single individual, we have, as you all know, in this Academy, a 
most remarkable instance. But the history of Science shows us that 
this union is rare ; and although something may be done to promote 
among the students of Biology a more profound knowledge of mathe- 
matical and physical science, I fear that the great labour which such 
a philosophic system of education would require, combined with the 
fact that, amongst us, the cultivator of biological science is, in general, 
also a member of an active profession, will render such a union always 
rare. And if you cannot have these qualities united in the same man, 
surely the next best thing is to realize, as far as possible, the advan- 
tages of such a combination by the united efi'orts of two men. 
And here I may suitably remind you that the Academy is possessed 
of a considerable grant for the sole purpose of aiding scientific investi- 
