Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-20
REALM OF SCIENCE
Wonderful Advancement Made in the
Nineteenth Century.
PERIOD OF INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY
Men Who Have Added to the
Worlds Store of knowledge.
ON THE ROLL OF FAME

Writer for The Evening Star by Prof Charles +.
| iiodA Author OF Life of Agassz,'' etc.
A review of the results of Investigations
| IN the field of natural science during the
| past century presents a marvellous retro
| spect, and shows the period to have been
one of the great stepping stones in intellec-
| tual advancement of the worlds history
1t is true that the science of biology ex-
listed prior to 1900; Aristotle, Pliny, Lin
naeus, Belonius, Aldrovandus, Gesner
Fabius, Colonna. Imperato. Ray, Trembley
Donau Lister, Rumphius Palas, Fabricus
and many more were the early standard
| bearers of natural SCIENCE but 1t cannot
be said that these men left the intellectual
| impression upon their centuries that has
| been accomplished by the disciples of
science who followed them in the period
| just closed. There is magic in the names
that shine out in letters of fire in the nine
teenth century Lamarck, Cuvier, ST. Hill
aire, AgassZ and Darwin alone will render
ii immortal in the great cycles of the evo-
| luton of intelligence, and in their train are
| lesser lights contributing to the glories of
discovery and original research whose
names constitute the monuments along the
pathway which has led to our present
| knowledge in the various fields of natural
| science.
| An Interesting Comparison.
At the beginning of the nineteenth GEN.
fury, 100 years ago, science compared
to that of today was extremely crude. The
masses of the people We're very ignorant,
and the man of science was regarded as a
curiosity outside of his particular circle.
| The works and theories and system of
| Linnaeus prevailed, but the opening of the
year 1900 saw new figures in the field. Lam
arck was making himself famous in the
| 0epa rtmpnt invertebrates Cnyier
| delVing into the vertebrates and Latreille
| in other fields, and the most remarkable
| occurrences in the field of science at the
| beginning of the century were due to the
efforts of these men, In 1900 Latreille pub
lishcd his Genera In 1873 the splendid
| History of Animals was given to the world
by Lamark, and following in 1917 came
'Regne Animal" by Baron Culver, a vast
! work, which made the French savant at
once famous. giving him a position which
AgaSsiz held later in the world of science
as one of the greatest investigators Of mod
ern times.
Beginning of an Era.
The appearance of Cuviers works mark
the beginning of the century as an i'm
portant era in the advance of science.
| They We're The Animal Kingdom" 1921;
Comparative Anatomy" 1910; FOSSILS"
| 1872, and Natural History of Fishes 1898.
One of the notable results of his work was
to open UP the study Of comparative anat
omy to the world and direct attention to
its Importance. a flood of new genera and
species in all branches of animal life fol-
lowing to aston!sh the student and layman.
Cuvier was most active in building up the
Jardin Des Plantes, aided by Napoleon, and
France d leader in science, and the
names of Quoy, Gayrard, LanGsdoff. Sa-
vigny, Peron and others became famous.
To Cuvier is due ,he establishment of the
principle of the coTrela ton of organs, and
he the father Of the science of palaeon
toogy.
Doctrine of Evolution.
The first remarkable event Of the time
was the first expression of the doctrine of
evolution by Lamarck in 1892; and it can
be safely said that no discovery in science
ever equaled in popular interest the ex-
citement which followed in the train OF
this remarkable dsqusition. Lamarck
nounced the variation of species in plants
and animals and their dependence upon en-
vironment He separated the animal king
dom into the two great classes-vertebrate
and invertebrates. The classes of infusori-
ans and spiders are his suggestions. he
discovered that the barnacles are crusta-
ceans and not molusks. and he was the
first to suggest a phylogeny, or a geneo-
logical tree for the animal Kingdom
Science of Embryolosy.
In the first third of the century the
science Of embryology took definite form
under the influence of Pander, Oxen, Dol
ilHSeT, NOH bdtF ana OlHtfS. <OtdDle as
coveries in the nature of the animal cell
were made now by Schwann, the terms
nucleus and nucleolus being applied by him.
Won Baer now proved that all mammals
developed from eggs. Coste, Nalentin and
Jones discovered that these eggs were
hOmOlOgouS to those Of lower VertebrateS,
and in 1850 Remak made the remarkable
discovery of the three germinai layers.
The first part of the century was famous
for the first of the great exploring expedi-
he r1I1I nj m
From 1900 to 1923 France sent several
ships; st. Vincent, Peron, Leseur. Valiant,
Quoy and Gaynard being the naturalists.
England sent Bennett, owen, Darwin and
Huxley. Russia was not behind; nor Ger
many, and America sent Dana, Courtney,
Peale, Ringold and Simpson, and thus be-
gan the work which eliminated in the mag
nficent expeditions of the Challenger, the
Albat ross and others under AgassiZ.
In the middle Of the century Muller was
striking figure, great anatomist, and
under his teaching modern morDhoogy
was born. Now came an era of books on
science and the literature OF modern and
exact science under such masters as OWel,
Huxley, Wagner, Gegenbaar, Muller and
others took permanent form.
Dnrwin's Great Work.
The most notable event Of this century
of discovery was the discussion and theoriz-
ing regarding evolution. Lamarck. st. Hill
laire and Goethe were early writer's on the
Origin of Species" a literary red flag,
which aroused laymen and scientist and
brought on a remarkable war Of discussion.
1t had been held by the people and church
that all life was created as 1t now appears,
and briefly Darwin proved that all speces
are but the result of natural causes. 1t is
a curious fact that Wallace simultaneously
arrived at the same conclusion and when
Darwin was about to issue his book the
former sent him a paper which embodied
the same views, for which the great master
of scientific thought gave him full credit.
The new doctrine was expounded by lux
ley, Spencer, Haecke, Gray, and others,
while modernZed Lamarckan doctrine
found supporters in Dali, Cope, Hyatt,
Ryder and Packard. The works of Darwin
aroused the most remarkable opposition in
the church, and the author became the butt
of assaults of all kinds from press and pull
pit, war waging which has never been
equaled; but today. the theory that species
are the outgrowth of natural causes holds
among the great teachers and thinkers of
the age
Tribute to AGassiz.
In so limited a space as the present paper
1t is impossible to touch on all the great
events which have marked the century.
Perhaps the most important event in