Thomas Henry Huxley
Huxley, Thomas Henry (1825–1895), an English biologist, lecturer, and writer. He is noted for his original research in zoology and other fields, and for the lucid essays in which he popularized science. Huxley became the outstanding champion and interpreter of Darwin's theory of organic evolution.
When Huxley was only 19 he discovered the layer of cells (later named for him) in the root sheath of human hair. His studies of the surface life of tropical seas began while he was assistant surgeon aboard H.M.S. Rattlesnake during its 1846–50 exploration of the coast of New Guinea and the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Huxley's investigations of jellyfish led to his identification of the Hydrozoa as a distinct zoological class.
Huxley later made pioneer studies of fishes of the Devonian period, fossil lizards and reptiles, the cephalopod molluscs, and the skulls of vertebrates. His Zoological Evidences as to Man's Place in Nature (1863) was the first scientific examination of human resemblance to the apes.
Huxley was born at Ealing, near London. He studied at Charing Cross Hospital and received his medical degree from the University of London in 1845. His voyage to the Pacific was followed by his election to the Royal Society (1851). While serving as professor of natural history at the Royal School of Mines (1854–85), Huxley also held lectureships in various scientific bodies and was a member of 10 royal commissions. He lectured in the United States in 1876. His last years were devoted mainly to philosophical and theological writings. He introduced the term agnostic to describe his own philosophical attitude.
Aside from textbooks and specialized papers, Huxley's works include: The Physical Basis of Life (1868); Science and Culture (1881); Evolution and Ethics (1893); Collected Essays (9 volumes, 1893–94); Scientific Memoirs (5 volumes, 1898–1903).