The Danish Ingolf-Expedition, Vol. 4

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Excerpt from The Danish Ingolf-Expedition, Vol. 4: Part 2, Contents-Th. Mortensen: Echinoidea (II) In the introduction to his memoir Professor Agassiz states that I show but little appreciation of the work of my predecessors, and De Meijere is included under this accusation, since he agrees with me in regarding the minute microscopical structures of pedicellariae and spicules as of considerable importance for classification. dr. Mortensen, savs Professor Agassiz, practically rejects all the work of his predecessors and challenges it as worthless because it is not based upon his methods for the solution of all Echinological problems. Like all classifications based upon a single character the results obtained culminate in such impossible associations that we are loath to follow his lead. i must protest against the temper and style of criticism adopted by Dr. Mortensen, even if he were right, his assumption of omniscience is offensive to the utmost, and his personal remarks are entirely out of place in a scientific memoir. He concludes these very unrestrained remarks with the following quotation from a newspaper: the results should diminish the patronizing certainty of knowingit all which distinguishes Dr. Mortensen's work, and forbids us, his predecessors, to discuss matters of which we must be in the nature of the case, wholly ignorant. First, as regards the temper and style of my criticism, I must confess my deep regret at having been so unhappy in my mode of expression. I always had and will have a very great respect for the author of that immense work the Revision of Echini, which must always remain the basis for the study of recent Echinoidea, even though its classification may prove untenable and the descriptions of genera and species more or less unsatisfactory. When mv examination of the original material in the British Museum led me to publish several corrections of the same author's Report on the chal lenger-echinoidea, I always endeavoured to give them in the simplest way, stating only the facts without comment or reproach, but, I confess, also without praise. This procedure, dictated though it was by my respect for the author of the revision of Echini, has had the unfortunate result that Pro fessor Agassiz has taken it as an offensive assumption of omniscience, for it is, of course, unreasonable to suppose that the eminent author has been tempted to ascribe offensiveness to the mere demonstra tion of errors. Once again, I repeat my deep regret at this result and can only state thati tried my best to avoid expressions which could be regarded as offensive. If I have been unsuccessful in this respect, that may perhaps be partly ascribed to the circumstance that my work has been translated from Da nish, in which language it was written by me. Probablv I may not be quite aware of the full significance of all the English expressions used, so that more may sometimes have been said than I have mean-t to say. That the errors found out had to be corrected, I think, everybody will agree, in any case I deem it the unconditional duty of every scientist to correct any erroneous statements he detects in literature, to prevent their going on and on in future literature, causing error on error, which will especially be the case with such statements occurring in the works of so famous an authority as Professor Agassiz. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com