Huxley, Thomas

HENRY, an eminent biologist, born at Ealing, Middle sex co., Eng., May 4, 1825. He graduated with honors from the University of London in 1845; served in the royal navy as a istant surgeon, (1846-53), sailing round the world in H. M. S. Rattle snake, during which he made valuable observations which he communicated to the Royal Society, of which he was made a Fellow in 1851. In 1854 he became profe or of Natural History in the School of Mines; from 1863 to 1869 served as Hunter i an profe or in the Royal College of Surgeons; was president of the Geological and Ethnological Societies (1869-70); on the London School Board (1870-72); secretary of the Royal Society, (1872); lord rector of the University of Aberdeen (1872); president of the Royal Society (1883); served twice as Fuller i an profe or in the Royal Institution, and was a privy councillor in 1893. For many years Profe or H. was an ince ant and highly able worker in biological science, his researches leading to results that gave him a standing in the most exalted cla of scientists. He was principally distinguished for his studies in comparative anatomy and the systematic arrangement of organic beings, proposing radical changes in the existing systems, and pointing out some striking homologies in animal development. The Darwin i an theory was quickly accepted and richly illustrated by him, while among his views, which have attracted general attention, are his theory of protoplasm, and his hypothesis that the actions of animals and man, while seemingly voluntary, are really automatic, being independent of any faculty like that known as the will. Profe or Huxley's reputation rests, in considerable measure, on his fluency and lucidity as a writer; his skill in expre ing the conclusions of science in simple language having brought his works into wide circulation among unscientific people. His principal works on science are: Man's Place in Nature (1863); Lectures on Comparative Anatomy (1864); Introduction to the Cla ification of Animals (1869); Anatomy of the Vertebrate Animals and Anatomy of the Invertebrate Animals, two treatises that have gone through a number of editions; The Oceanic Hydrozoa, and numerous papers of high scientific value. Aside from his scientific writings he interested himself in educational questions, and published several works on topics of a philosophic and general character, including: Lay Sermons; Critiques and Addre es; Physiography; Science and Culture, . He engaged in a literary controversy with Gladstone upon questions concerning the Hebrew Scriptures, which he handled with a controversial skill and a keenne in deduction that attracted wide attention, proving himself, in the opinion of scientific thinkers, far superior to his antagonist in the powers of logic and epigrammatic force of language. In addition to the several positions named, H. held various others; received the Wollaston medal from the Geological Society, the Copley medal from the Royal Society, the gold medal of the Royal Society of New South Wales, the Swedish Order of the Pole-Star, membership in many foreign societies, and honorary degrees from various universities. Died at East bourne, June 29, 1895. No scientific writer of modern times acquired a more wide-spread reputation or greater influence over thel progre of thought than Prof. H. This reputation is due alike to the breadth of the field covered by his researches, his extensive knowledge, clear, incisive and brilliant literary style, and outspoken advocacy of certain radical and startling doctrines, which brought his name into notice in all ranks of society. One of those is that in which, springing boldly to the ultimate outcome of the Darwin i an theory, he advocated the descent of man from the apes. Another-advanced in his Physical Basis of Life -combatted the prevailing idea that life is a principle distinct from organization, and held that it is but the outcome of the physical qualities of protoplasm, an organic substance existing in every part of every organism and on which all manifestations of vitality directly depend. A still more startling doctrine, above mentioned, and advocated before the British A ociation at its meeting at Belfast in 1874, maintained, as a result of the phenomena of certain cases of brain injury and disease, that the seeming voluntary actions of animals, and even of man, are really automatic, being not only independent of the a umed faculty of the will, but even to some extent of consciousne . It embraced the definite declaration that an animal is a machine, wound up, like a highly complex clock, to run for a certain period, and that consciousne is a side-product of its activities, and one which has no actual controlling influence over these activities. Aside from these hypothetical views and from his strong tendency to generalization. Prof. H. was one of the most exact and indefatigable of scientists, his researches covering the fields of comparative anatomy, morphology, physiology, embryology, palæontology, physiography, and others, and leading him to many valuable generalizations in the affinities and cla ification of animals. He first removed the Echinoderm cla of animals from the Radiates, and proved their affinity to the Vermes; and he made important additions to our knowledge of the morphology of the Mollusca and the Anthropoda. He was equally suggestive and happy in his dealings with the cla of Vertebrate animals, and foresaw, with a prophetic inspiration, the derivation of the birds from the reptiles, and the ancestry of the horse-conceptions which have been amply verified in the discovery of the Dinosaurian reptiles and the toothed birds, and of the Tertiary progenitors of the horse. His similar conception of the close affinity of the batrachia and the fishes was shown in his bringing them together in the single cla Ichthyopsid a. He had, indeed, a remarkably clear discernment of the laws and affinities of organic nature, and had the high honor of scarcely making a mistake in his numerous scientific deductions. In addition he accomplished the difficult task of rendering intelligible to educated people generally some of the most difficult of the problems of science. In his controversial writings he displayed a fluency, fine powers of reasoning and keenne of sarcasm that made them at once enjoy. able and convincing to readers, and added greatly to his reputation as a writer of unusual ability. As a public speaker he was quiet, fluent, and almost colloquial in manner, and gained a strong influence over his hearers and students. In his later years impaired health, due to his arduous labors, forced him to resign many of his positions, in lieu of which a pension was granted him by the government. Hyatt, ALPHEUS, naturalist. was born in Washington, D. C., April 5, 1838, educated at Yale and the Lawrence Scientific School, graduating B.S. from the latter in 1862; was one of the curators of E ex Institute and Peabody Academy of Science; custodian of the Boston Society of Natural History (1870), and curator of the same (1881). He is a member of most scientific societies in the U. S.; has made a special study of the fo il Cephalopod a, and his theories in regard to their evolution are of great value. His works include: Freshwater Polyzoa ; Genera of Fo il Cephalopods; Larval Theory of the Origin of Cellular Ti ue; Genesis of the Ariciada. His revision of the North American Porifer a is the first and only monograph upon American sponges. Besides his scientific papers, he has published a series of small books, Guides to Science- teaching , for use in the puplic schools. Hyde, in South Dakota , a central county; area , 850 sq. m. It is bounded on the S.W. by the Mi ouri river. Sur face , undulating; soil , fertile and well watered. Prod., corn, wheat, oats, barley, flax, potatoes. Cap . High more. Рор . (1895) 1,333.