The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 (of 4) : $b Separate memoirsBalfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Science
The works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume 1 (of 4) : $b Separate memoirs
Balfour, Francis M. (Francis Maitland)
Embryology; Zoology
In October, 1876, he resumed the lectures on Morphology, taking the whole
course himself, his colleague, Mr Marshall, having meanwhile left
Cambridge. Indeed, from this time onward, he may be said to have made these
lectures, in a certain sense, the chief business of his life. He lectured
all three terms, devoting the Michaelmas and Lent terms to a systematic
course of Animal Morphology, and the Easter term to a more elementary
course of Embryology. These lectures were given under the auspices of Prof.
Newton; but Balfour's position was before long confirmed by his being made
a Lecturer of Trinity College, the lectures which he gave at the New
Museums, and which were open to all students of the University, being
accepted in a liberal spirit by the College as equivalent to College
Lectures. He very soon found it desirable to divide the morphological
course into an elementary and an advanced course, and to increase the
number of his lectures from three to four a week. Each lecture was followed
by practical work, the students dissecting and examining microscopically,
an animal or some animals chosen as types to illustrate the subject-matter
of the lecture; and although Balfour had the assistance at first of one[2],
and ultimately of several demonstrators, he himself put his hand to the
plough, and after the lecture always spent some time in the laboratory
among his pupils. Had Balfour been only an ordinary man, the zeal and
energy which he threw into his lectures, and into the supervision of the
practical work, added to the almost brotherly interest which he took in the
individual development of every one of the pupils who shewed any love
whatever for the subject, would have made him a most successful teacher.
But his talents and powers were such as could not be hid even from
beginners. His extensive and exact knowledge, the clearness with which in
spite of, or shall I not rather say, by help of a certain want of fluency,
he explained difficult and abstruse matters, the trenchant way in which he
lay bare specious fallacies, and the presence in almost his every word of
that power which belongs only to the man who has thought out for himself
everything which he says, these things aroused and indeed could hardly fail
to arouse in his hearers feelings which, except in the case of the very
dullest, grew to be those of enthusiasm. His class, at first slowly, but
afterwards more rapidly, increased in numbers, and, what is of more
importance, grew in quality. The room allotted to him soon became far too
small and steps were taken to provide for him, for myself, whose wants were
also urgent, and for the biological studies generally, adequate
accommodation; but it was not until Oct. 1877 that we were able to take
possession of the new quarters.
Footnote 2: His first Demonstrator up to Christmas 1877, was
Mr J. F. Bullar. In Jan. 1878, Mr Adam Sedgwick took the post
of Senior Demonstrator, and held it until Balfour's death.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account