Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-19
TWO GREAT LECTURES.
Professor Martin on an EgG-PrO-
feSsOr Harris on Greek Phi
IOaODhY.

BIDIpsSoT II. NfHtii MaiLiu. Dl Tue bbun1
| Hopkins University, Baltimore. delivered
the second OF his lectures on Biology in the
Tbomas Hall ut Richmond College last
night
lie was introduced b7 Professor Edward
b. Smith, chairman OF the Committee on
Arrangements. There was fine audience,
including quite a number oi the leading
| physicians OF the city, James Alfred Jones,
| Ill. d., Mayor EllysOn, Hon. II. X. Poll
lard, Hon. j. /. NJ. Curry, John T.. Branch,
| ESD, Mr.. II. K. Ellys0n. and other prOmi-
! nent citIzens. Eany OF the leading minis
tcrs were also present. Rey. DR.. Moses u.
Hoee sent letter OF regret thai he was
obliged to be away from the city. Letters
from tue President and Faculty OF Washing
ton and Lee University and from those Of
| Iampden-Sidney College, cOngratuating
the college on its advancement IN scientific
| inquiry and expressing regret that they could
moi be REPRESENTED, were read. Professor
Martin spoke slowly aud distinctly and wa,
we'll heard. THE entire lecture was well IL
ustrated by stereOptcon views and gave
much satisfaction.
TIE AMERICAN HEN.
The lecturer commenced by citing from
the lsst census reports the almost incredible
number Of millions Of dozens Of eggs pro-
|
! tion of ner unprotected "infant industry"
But. he continued, common ss an egg is
from this point Of view, what wonder is 1t
from another. An apparently dead mass OF
chalky matter. white and yolk. kept mode
rately warm for twenty>0ne days Is convert
cd into a living chicken breathing, moving,
and feeling. Ths wonderful fact had at
tracted the attention OF naturalists from
very early times. Aristotle, some 800 B. c.,
wrote a treatise on il, and ever since it has
been a frequent subject OF investigation.
To-day we know tOlerably we'll hOto IN egg
is converted into a chicken, ana the question
which chiefly interests the biologist IS tchV
the process takes place in the roundabout
way IL does.
ANCIENT IDEAS.
The earlier notion was that there was in.
side the egg very small hut quite complete
ly-fOrmed bird, which simply bad 10 grow at
the expense Of white and yOlk. This doc
trine was known IN the seventeenth century
as evolution, which is just what we would
not call it to-day. when the word is used TO
indicate the change OF a living thing into
some other form OF living thing. Harvey
the discoyerer Of the circulation OF the blood,
was one Oi the first to correct the older be-
lief. lie showed that living matter in the
egg, not IN the least like a chicken, while in
the course Of incubation, gradually increas.
ing in size, at the same time became trans
formed and moulded, or in technical Ian
guage developed into one.
PICTURES.
Nv the aid Of large number OF lantern
slides DR.. Martin illustrated the structure
OF a fresh.lsid egg and traced its develop
meut. lie showed that the fresh egg had
on one side OF the yolk very thin germi-
nal membrane made up OF living cells, and
that in the centre OF this membrane the
chick originated. step by step its progress
was traced from the stage IN which the
embryo had the essential structure OF the
sea-anemone class OF animals 70 one IN
which it clearly belonged 10 some higher
group, bur whether vertebrate or not might
be doubtful; next, that the developing ani-
NAL belonged TO the Dack-boned group be-
came cleor, and, finally, that among all the
classes OF back-boned animals 1t was to be-
come bird. 1t was shown that the em-
bryo at one time possessed gill Sits leading
from It's mouth into its throat just like those
OF a fish. Between these Sits were kill
skeletons aud gill arteries, but no gill tufts-
that is to say, there were no real eIlls-
EMBRYONIC HISTORY.
The remainder OF the lecture was for the
most part taken up with consideration OF
the question, What these transient and sDso-
luteiy useless gill Sits meant. The former
method OF explaining them. and many simi,
lar facts Of embryonic history, was to say
that the transient organs had been created
:. for the sake OF symmetry" or in order ito
complete the scheme Of nature" but this Is
merely an imposing restatement OF the fact,
an explanatiOn which explains nothing.
II. or the other hand, We recognize them
ne long inheritance by the bird from aqua
tic ancestors WHO bore and used gills we get
real explanation OF these gill remnants in
The embryo chicken. Ii Is perhaps little
ramar kaole tina! in the story OF creation as
given In the first chapter OF Genesis birds
are described as having been formed in OK
from the water.
This modern method OF explaining many
transient organs Of the embryo as mere rem
pauts OF structures once essential to an An
cestor has given clue 10 the meaping-to
the vohu--of hundreds OF remarkable facts
in development. Properly interpreted the
story OF the development OF the individual
fonto-9eny) Is the clue TO the history OF the
or evolution OF the race tphy-
iogcayl.
NEW THINGS UNDER THE SUN.
After some other examples the Professor |