Dear Sir:

I hope you have received “Medical Statistics of the Provost-Marshal-General’s Bureau” sent to you through Trübner & Co. of London by my brother Col. J. H. Baxter.¹ The work will, I think, be of some interest to you and, if you think the matter worth any thought, I wish you would give me your opinion on a subject discussed therein, namely, the correlation of disease and statures. By reference to p VI vol. I you may see that I had a small share in the preparation of the work—that of making the “charts” and “maps” and writing so much of the letter-press as relates to them.² The charts are made up wholly from the Tables of Vol. II but they bring together certain facts which form interesting groups.

Assuming that you are in possession of the work I beg you to turn to Charts I and II (Vol I) and to the comments thereon at pp. 73–75; also to charts VIII and IX with comments at pp. 77–79. Such reference will, I think, explain what I want to as your opinion.³ You will perceive that, in the comments, no dicided opinion is expressed; and for the very good reason that I did not consider myself competent to treat the subject as it ought to be treated. Of course what I wrote was carefully revised by Col. B. and altered as he pleased.

While I was studying the matter I advanced the theory that there was a relation between certain diseases and stature and I even wrote a letter, in Col. Baxter’s name, which I proposed to send to you two years ago with “advance sheets” of the work but Col. B. did not choose to forward it and the matter dropped. But the whole work being now in your hands I venture to address you in my own name asking pardon if I have overstepped the bounds of decorum.

I, in common with thousands in America who eagerly read everything from your pen, can not but feel a little acquainted with you but of course you do not know me. Therefore I wish to state that I feel a certain superiority over the majority of my fellow men in that I am entirely emancipated from the blinding views of teleology and also that I think I understand natural and sexual selection—not, of course, in all past effects, but their immediate application to every day observations. I may also state that I have called the attention of our Professor Morse (Edward S.,) whose address at Buffalo the other day I hope you have seen,⁴ to the same question and he writes me that he is too busy just at present to study the matter but will do so in about four weeks   He facetiously remarks that “It seems a pity that the religious beliefs could not have been tabulated. What a curious correlation might be established between, for example, a ‘hard-shelled-Baptist’ and dyspepsia—”

Before this reaches you you will know how we have received Professor Huxley and I can promise you even a more cordial reception.⁵ That we may, not very far in the future, have an opportunity is the sincere wish of | Very respectfully yours | M. L. Baxter M D

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