The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONT)ON, MONDAY-:EVENINCI, MAY 11, 14ti.

lineations of the nerves of the uterus in the " Transac-
tions of the Royal Society." More than fifty distinguished
English and foreign anatomists have carefully exa-
mined my " Dissections," which first displayed
this great nervous system, and have borne testi-
mony, in writing, to the truth of my published statements.
Many of these anatomists are fellows of the Royal So-
ciety, and much superior in scientific reputation to the
individuals who, without examination, have urged the
physiological committee to recommend this award.
A third reason which I have to assign to the Council
for this protest is, that the recommendation of the phy-
siological committee was made in a hasty and irregular,
if not in a positively illegal manner—a manner calcu-
lated to excite suspicions respecting the motives of those
who have been most active in promoting this award.
A fourth ground for protesting against tbii adjudica-
tion, is the established practice of the Royal Society, in
which it has ever been the rule to abstain from giving
an opinion on any disputed point of fact, or deciding on
a subject which is still in controversy.
For these reasons. I beseech the Council of the Royal
Society to suspend this award, until all the circumstances
detailed in this protest have undergone a rigid and im-
partial investigation. The interests of science, and the
honour of the Royal Society itself, render an inquiry im-
perative upon the Council.—l have the honour to re-
main, my Lords and Gentlemen, your faithful and obe-
dient servant, ROBERT LEE.
4, Saville-row, Dec. 1, 1845.
No notice was taken of this protest ; Dr. Lee, there-
fore, after the circulation of the annual address of the
President, sent in the subjoined statement to the Council.
This will be found to bear out, in every important point,
the facts we have already cimmunicated.
A LETTER FROM DR. LEE TO THE PRESIDENT AND
COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON.

My Lords and Gentlemen,—ln the printed address of
the President, delivered at the last anniversary meeting
of the Society (Dec. 1), it is stated that the royal medal
had been adjudged by the Council, "complying thereby
with the recommendation of the Committee of Phy-
siology."
It is proved, by the following statement of facts, that
no recommendation was made by the Committee of
Physiology to the Council for such an award, and that
the statutes of the Society, and regulations ordered by
the Crown for the award of royal medals, have been
violated by the late Council.
On the 28th of October last, the Committee of Phy-
siology met. Mr. Lawrence, who had been the referee on
all my papers on the nerves of the uterus, published in the
"Philosophical Transactions," was president of the com-
mittee on tLit occasion. When the committee had recom-
mended the Council to award the Copley medal to Mr.
Owen, and transacted other business, the secretary in-
formed Mr. Lawrence that there was no further busi-
ness before the committee to transact, on receiving which
intimation, Mr. Lawrence dissolved the committee, and
left Somerset House.
No sooner had the president taken his departure, than
the remaining members of the dissolved committee re-
formed themselves. Dr. Todd took the chair, and the
meeting, thus re-constructed, proceeded to consider the
award of the royal medal in physiology. Fifteen papers
were named, or put in competition, for the medal. One
of these was my "supplement to a Paper on the Nervous
Ganglia of the Uterus," which had been read to the So-
ciety on the 19th of June, and which contained additional
and important evidence in confirmation of the accuracy
of my descriptions and delineations of the nerves of the
uterus, in the " Transactions of the Royal Society."
This paper had remained unreferred four months,
after having been read to the Society. Another paper,
put in competition for the medal, was one on the nerves
of the uterus, by Mr. Beck, which had never been read
to the Society, but had been referred, on the 3rd of July,
to Drs. Todd and Sharpey. Two separate reports from
Drs. Todd asd Sharpey were produced and read, and then
this meeting resolved to recommend the council to award
the ro3 al medal to Mr. Beck.
After this transaction, the next act of the meeting
was, to refer my supplement to Sir B. Brodie, to ascertain
whether it was worthy of publication. Sir B. Brodie re-
commended the committee of physiology to print the
paper, but the committee, on the 6th of November, re-
solved,
" that Dr. Lee's appendix be not recommended
to be printed."
On the 30th of October, the Council of the Royal So-
ciety met, and on the recommendation of the re-con-
structed meeting, held two days before, resolved, " that
one of the royal medals in physiology be awarded to T.
S. Beck, Esq., for his paper entitled ' On the Nerves of
the Uterus.' '
The council then resolved itself into a committee of
papers, to determine whether the paper to which the
royal medal had just been awarded, was fit to be printed.
The medal was awarded to a paper which had never
been read to the Society, and had not been ordered to
be printed.
On the 7th of November, in an interview which I had
with the president, I stated to his Lordship that the
award had been made without investigation, and that
the recommendation to the council had not proceeded
from the c munittee of physiology, but from an illegally
constituted meeting, after the committee had been dis-
solved by the chairman. His Lordship replied, that the
council had awarded the medal on its own responsibi-
..

lity; that it was at perfect liberty to decide indepen-
dently of the committee, and that it was of no conse-
quence whether the recommendation came to the coun-
cil from the committee regularly constituted, or the
minutes of the meeting had been confirmed. The medal
has been awarded, added the president, the thing is
done, and it is too late to say anything more about it.
About the middle of November, the President sent a
requisition to the Committee of Physiology, ordering
them to state the grounds upon which they had recom-
mended the award of the royal medal in physiology.
On the 20th of November the committee met, and re-
solved, " that Dr. Todd and Dr. Sharpey be requested
to draw up a report on the claims of Mr. Beck's paper
to the award of the royal medal, and that Mr. Beck's
paper be sent in succession to the several members of
the Committee of Physiology resident in London."
At this meeting Mr. Lawrence requested the secre-
tary to show him Mr. Beck's paper, but it was not forth-
coming ; and the secretary statQd that it was in the
author's possession, contrary to a statute of the Society
enacted expressly for the purpose of preventing the per-
petration of literary and scientific frauds.
On the 27th of November, the committee met, when
the report of Drs. Sharpey and Todd was read and
adopted. On the Ist of December, this report came
before the council, and it has been printed in the pro-
ththeeansnocivieetrsary meeting, as if it had been
yr and in the address of the
cpereedsiidnegast
aotf
the true report of the committee of physiology on the
claims of Mr. Beck's paper to the award of the medal.
That such is not the fact can readily be proved, for the
medal was awarded by the council a month before, and
on the recommendation of the re-constructed meeting
on the 28th of October, when two other repOrts were
produced and read by Drs. Todd and Sharpey, which
reports, Dr. Roget states, " are confidential," and have
not yet seen the light.
The following notice is affixed to the first part of the
".Philosophical Transactions" for 1845, and the same
notice has been affixed to every volume of the " Philoso-
phical Transactions," published since 1837:
" Her Majesty Queen Victoria, in restoring the royal
medals, has been graciously pleased to approve the fol-
lowing regulations for the award of them:—That the
royal medals be given for such pdpers only as have been
presented to the Royal Society, and inserted in their
"Transactions."
The medal in physiology was awarded by the late
Council to a paper which had never been read to the
Society, and has not been inserted in the " Philosophical
Transactions."

I can now demonstrate that the highest honours of the
Royal Society have been conferred for destroying, and
not for displaying, the, nerves of the uterus. If the
Council will appoint a competent tribunal to investigate
the subject, the truth of what' is now affirmed will
...

speedily be discovered, and the njury inflicted on ana-
tomical and physiological science by these irregular,
unjust, and most unphilosophical proceedings, be re-
paired. The moral character of the Royal Society re-
quires that a rigorous examination be made, without
delay, into the whole of these extraordinary transactions.
I am, my Lords and Gentlemen, very faithfully yours,
ROBERT LEE.
4, Saville-row, Burlington-gardens, April 2nd, 1846.
DR. BOGEY'S REPLY.

Royal Society, Somerset House, April 3rd, 1846.
Sir,—: am instructed by the President and Council of
the Royal Society to inform you, in reply to your c ,m-
-munication, that they do not consider themselves autho-
rised to revise the grounds on which a royal medal has
already been awarded ; and I am further directed to
communicate to you a resolution which they have
adopted, with a view to the prevention of future difficul-
ties in the awards of royal medals, and I accordingly
enclose a copy of that resolution.—l am, sir, your obe-
dient servant,

P. M. ROGET, Secretary.

Such is a repetition of the details concerning the
award of•the last and long-to-be-remembered medal in
Physiology. They are startling, and almost sufficient to
shake the Royal Society to its centre. That such things
should have occurred during the presidency of the Mar-
quis of Northampton, will for ever be a reproach to this
nobleman. It could not be supposed that he should
comprehend the nature of anatomical details, but it
might have been supposed, that on accepting the first
office in the first scientific society in the world, he would
so far have studied the statutes and regulations by which
it is governed, as to have rendered the perpetration of
these irregularities impossible. That he did not is a
clear evidence of his unfitness for the elevated post he
occupied, unless, indeed, he can claim something ap-
proaching to royal impunity, and pass the blame down-
wards entirely to the acting officials.

NOTICE TO MARINERS.
The followinz has been posted at Lloyds:—
LITTLE BELT.--FIXED LIGHT ON RIKENAES

POINT IN ALSEN ISLAND.
Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, April 18, 184 G.
The Danish Government has given notice that a fixed
light has been established on Rikenaes Point, on the
south side of Alsen Island, which forms the southern
entrance of the Little Belt. The light is 78 feet above
the level of the sea, and is visible from the southward,
between the bearing of W. S. and E.S.E. E. within
the distance of three leagues. Note.—The-light vessel
usually stationed in the summer months off the extremity
of Faisterbo reef was to resume her station as soon as
the ice permitted.
Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, April 24, 184 G.
SOUTH AMERICA.—ORINOCO FLOATING

LIGHT.
The Government of Venezuela has given notice, that
a Ponton Faro, or a vessel carrying a light, has been
moored in the toes Grande, or mouth of the River
Orinoco. She lies in 28 feet at low water, with Barima
Point bearing south.

The Lord Chancellor and Lad Lyndhurst left town
onPride" evening, for Turdlle ark.