Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 3Huxley, Thomas Henry
History
Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley — Volume 3
Huxley, Thomas Henry
Huxley, Thomas Henry, 1825-1895; Naturalists -- England -- Biography
Nor must it be imagined that after the publication of his ideal work on
the Crayfishes in 1880, he had forsaken the Invertebrata. On the
contrary, during the late '70's, and on till 1882, he accumulated a
considerable number of drawings (as usual with brief notes), on the
Mollusca. Some are rough, others beautiful in every respect, and among
the more conspicuous outcomes of the work are some detailed
observations on the nervous system, and an attempt to formulate a new
terminology of orientation of the Acephalous Molluscan body. The period
embraces that of his research upon the Spirula of the "Challenger"
expedition, since published; and incidentally to this he also
accumulated a series of valuable drawings, with explanatory notes, of
Cephalopod anatomy, which, as accurate records of fact, are unsurpassed.
As you are aware, he was practically the founder of the Anthropological
Institute. Here again, in the late '60's and early '70's, he was most
clearly contemplating a far-reaching inquiry into the physical
anthropology of all races of mankind. There remain in testimony to this
some 400 to 500 photographs (which I have had carefully arranged in
order and registered), most of them of the nude figure standing erect,
with the arm extended against a scale. A desultory correspondence
proves that in connection with these he was in treaty with British
residents and agents all over the world, with the Admiralty and naval
officers, and that all was being done with a fixed idea in view. He was
clearly contemplating something exhaustive and definite which he never
fulfilled, and the method is now the more interesting from its being
essentially the same as that recently and independently adopted by
Mortillet.
Beyond this, your father's notes reveal numerous other indications of
matters and phases of activity, of great interest in their bearings on
the history and progress of contemporary investigation, but these are
of a detailed and wholly technical order.
APPENDIX 2.
His administrative work as an officer of the Royal Society is described
in the following note by Sir Joseph Hooker:--
Mr. Huxley was appointed Joint-Secretary of the Royal Society, November
30, 1871, in succession to Dr. Sharpey, Sir George Airy being
President, and Professor (now Sir George) Stokes, Senior Secretary. He
held the office till November 30, 1880. The duties of the office are
manifold and heavy; they include attendance at all the meetings of the
Fellows, and of the councils, committees, and sub-committees of the
Society, and especially the supervision of the printing and
illustrating all papers on biological subjects that are published in
the Society's Transactions and Proceedings: the latter often involving
a protracted correspondence with the authors. To this must be added a
share in the supervision of the staff of officers, of the library and
correspondence, and the details of house-keeping.
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