From William Bowman 1 April [1868]1
5 Clifford Street
Ap 1⟨ ⟩
My dear Mr Darwin
I was so sorry ⟨not⟩ to see you— I hope I shall sometime.2
Can you without inconvenience give me a reference to Bell’s exact words— I sought for them before ineffectually—3
The matter you ask about shall be fully examined— I shall have great pleasure in ascertaining all I can on a subject so interesting to you. It is a very complex one how ⟨2 or 3 words missing⟩ much ⟨1 or 2 words missing⟩
⟨1 or 2 words missing⟩ ⟨exc⟩essive photophobia ⟨in what is⟩ called scrofulous ophthalmia4 in children, when the light is so very painful that weeks or months it is constantly excluded by the most forcible closure of the lids— I have often been struck by the paleness of the eyes on forcibly opening the lids—not unnatural paleness, but an absence of the redness that one would have expected when the surface is somewhat inflamed, as is then usually the case—viz with small ⟨ ⟩ specks on the cornea5
Does Bell ⟨1 or 2 words missing⟩ at the moment ⟨ ⟩ is pale & is then seen to become gorged with blood—or is it found gorged?— In such circumstances the whole head & face is usually turgid with the frantic passion of the infant resisting violence.
Yours very truly | W Bowman
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Dorland’s medical dictionary: Dorland’s illustrated medical dictionary. By William Alexander Newman Dorland. 30th edition. Philadelphia, Pa.: W. B. Saunders. 2003.
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Summary
Asks for precise reference in Charles Bell to subject of CD’s question. Agrees to assist CD’s investigation. Asks about Bell’s observations on eyes engorged with blood. Has noticed that eyes of children with excessive photophobia tend to be pale when forced open.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-6079
- From
- William Bowman, 1st baronet
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Clifford St, 5
- Source of text
- DAR 160: 268
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp damaged †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6079,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6079.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16