Abstract
INAUGURAL ADDRESS DELIVERED AT BRISTOL ON SEPT. 3. TWO years have passed since the British Association last met in Britain. Events have happened in that interval which mark the close of the Darwinian epoch. Down House, in which Darwin lived and worked, has been bought, restored, and endowed by Mr. Buckston Browne and presented by him to the Association, which holds it in custody for the nation. The house is now open asa shrine to those who treasure Darwin's memory. They may enter the study where the “Origin of Species” was penned, or wander out to the Sand Walk, and draw such inspiration as those spots may yet afford to those who are face to face with problems cognate to his own. These years have also severed personal links with Darwin himself. Sir William Thiselton-Dyer, who died in December 1928, had been his frequent correspondent. It was he who, more than any other, carried the evolutionary stimulus forward into the botanical schools of Britain. Sir Edwin RayLankester, whose portrait by Orpen was a poignant feature of last year's Academy, died in August 1929. Not only was he the leading zoologist of his time, but he has left a deep impress on general morphology; for he was the first to analyse from the evolutionary aspect the degrees of ‘sameness’ of parts, whether in animals or in plants. These two octogenarians were among the latest links between Darwin himself and living men of science; so this last meeting of the Association before its centenary next year falls at a nodal point in the personal history of evolution.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BOWER, F. Size and Form in Plants. Nature 126, 355–361 (1930). https://doi.org/10.1038/126355a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/126355a0
This article is cited by
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.