From James Dixon 7 May 1880
Harrow Lands, | Dorking.
May 7. 1880.
Sir,—
May I take the liberty of drawing your attention to a trifling—very trifling—inaccuracy which occurs in your Descent of Man? (1871, i, 19)— You say “the platysma myoides … cannot be voluntarily brought into action.” In my own case this muscle is as much under control as any other in my body.1 I can use either lateral portion separately, or both portions together. The contraction influences the skin as far upwards as the angles of the mouth, both of which become slightly depressed; and in a downward direction the action extends far enough to move the nipples very slightly. I have known several persons who had the platysma under control, but I never met with anyone in whom this was the case to so great an extent as in myself.
I may observe that I know something about muscles inasmuch as I was Demonstrator of Anatomy at St Thomas’s Hospital during ten years.2 I was a standing wonder to my pupils, who were highly amused at my ability to use many muscles over which they had not the slightest control. I could—and can—move everyone of my facial muscles; and my palmaris brevis is as active now, when I am past 60, as it was 40 years ago.3
I hope these confessions will not cause you to regard me as the “missing link.”
Excuse my thus addressing you, and believe me to be very faithfully yrs. | James Dixon
Charles Darwin Esq. F.R.S. | &c &c
Footnotes
Bibliography
Descent 2d ed.: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. London: John Murray. 1874.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Plarr, Victor Gustave. 1930. Plarr’s lives of the fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Revised by Sir D’Arcy Power. 2 vols. London: Simpkin Marshall.
Summary
Corrects CD’s statement [Descent 1: 19] that the platysma myoides muscle cannot be brought into voluntary action. He can move every one of his facial muscles.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12598
- From
- James Dixon
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Dorking
- Source of text
- DAR 162: 185
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp damaged
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12598,” accessed on 28 October 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12598.xml