Thomas Henry Huxley, British biologist, c 1860s

Thomas Henry Huxley, British biologist, c 1860s. Studio photograph. English scientist Huxley (1825-1895) is remembered as 'Darwin's Bulldog', and from 1854 to 1885 was professor of natural history at the Royal School of Mines. He became the foremost scientific supporter of Charles Darwin's (1809-1882) theory of evolution by natural selection and wrote 'Evidence as to Man's Place in Nature' in 1863. He did more than anyone else to break down religious and obscurantist opposition to the theory of evolution. He also influenced the teaching of biology and science in schools. He produced over 150 research papers on a wide range of subjects, mainly zoological and palaeontological, but also geological, anthropological and botanical. Later he turned to theology and philosophy, and coined the term 'agnostic' for his views. ©SSPL/Science Museum