This refers to a section (pages 113-18) in
"Man's Place in Nature," headed "A succinct History of the Controversy
respecting the Cerebral Structure of Man and the Apes." Huxley follows
the question from Owen's attempt to classify the mammalia by cerebral
characters, published by the "Linn. Soc." in 1857, up to his revival of
the subject at the Cambridge meeting of the British Association in 1862.
It is a tremendous indictment of Owen, and seems to us to conclude
not unfittingly with a citation from Huxley's article in the "Medical
Times," October 11th, 1862. Huxley here points out that special
investigations have been made into the question at issue "during the
last two years" by Allen Thomson, Rolleston, Marshall, Flower, Schroeder
van der Kolk and Vrolik, and that "all these able and conscientious
observers" have testified to the accuracy of his statements, "while not
a single anatomist, great or small, has supported Professor Owen." He
sums up the case once more, and concludes: "The question has thus become
one of personal veracity. For myself I will accept no other issue than
this, grave as it is, to the present controversy.") (which is capitally
clear), and then I saw that my suspicion was true that he has entirely
changed his ground to size of Brain. How candid he shows himself to have
taken the slipped Brain! (164/6. Owen in the "Athenaeum," February 21st,
1863, admits that in the brain which he used in illustration of his
statements "the cerebral hemispheres had glided forward and apart behind
so as to expose a portion of the cerebellum.") I am intensely curious
to see whether Lyell will answer. (164/7. Lyell's answer was in the
"Athenaeum" March 7th, 1863.) Lyell has been, I fear, rather rash to
enter on a subject on which he of course knows nothing by himself. By
heavens, Owen will shake himself, when he sees what an antagonist he has
made for himself in you. With hearty admiration, Farewell.
I am fearfully disappointed at Lyell's excessive caution (164/8. In the
"Antiquity of Man": see "Life and Letters," III., page 8.) in expressing
any judgment on Species or [on the] origin of Man.
LETTER 165. TO JOHN SCOTT. Down, March 6th, 1863.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account