From P. H. Pye-Smith 19 December 1881
56, Harley Street. | W.
Dec. 19. 1881
My dear Sir
I do not write to urge you to favour us with the article on “Vivisection” for “the 19th Century” which we asked before, though we should be none the less grateful for it, if you saw your way to it, for the month of February.1 But I write, first, to ask whom you would advise us to choose to write it from the purely Scientific stand-point, failing yourself. I have already applied to Mr Huxley and to Sir John Lubbock. Both are unable from press of other engagements to help.2 We (Burdon Sanderson, Michael Foster Brunton & myself) have thought among others of Mr Spottiswoode, Prof. Tyndall, Turner of Edinboro’ (I asked Flower before) and Fletcher-Moulton, the barrister.3 Can you suggest anyone better & especially anyone whom you could ask to do the task on your behalf?
Next, you are aware that the movement set on foot to defray Ferrier’s expenses in the recent prosecution, which you were so generously forward to join, has grown into a project for forming an Association, not only to meet any future attacks of the same kind on legitimate scientific inquiries, but to diffuse knowledge on the subject of physiological experiments among the public, and to watch the working of the Act, so as bring pressure to bear on the Home Office when needful.4
That it will be needful, an interview Mr Bowman Mr Lister & myself had with the Home Secretary (as a deputation from the International Medical Congress) left no doubt on my mind.5
Will you join this Association? We have already several eminent men of science & members of both Houses of parliament who will be ready to do so; and since the provisional Committee includes Mr Bowman & Sir Wm. Gull, the Pres. of the R. Coll of Surgeons & the late Pres. of the R. Coll of physicians, Dr A Clark Mr Lister & Dr Sanderson, you will see that you are not likely to be committed to any folly which the youthful impetuosity of Brunton or myself might bring about.6
As soon as the Association is formed we shall have to look about for a suitable President. I should like to propose your name, & none could be more welcome or appropriate. But Brunton tells me that he thinks you would prefer not: and your time & health & comfort are far too valuable to be sacrificed: so we will not urge you if you decline.7 There will be time enough for this however when our Association is launched.
While staying with Romanes in September I had the privilege of reading an early copy of your last work—on the worms. How wonderful it is that you have such boundless capacity for work. Thank God you seem as energetic and “geistreich” as when you wrote your famous book on Coral islands.8
I heard lately from Wallis Nash in Oregon. He has sent home to Moseley a perfect skeleton of Enhydra marina, which is now in the Hunterian Museum—9 You know perhaps that their child born in their new home was named after yourself.10
I am, dear Sir, | Yours with the deepest respect & esteem | P H Pye-Smith.
CD annotations
Footnotes
Bibliography
Coral reefs: The structure and distribution of coral reefs. Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1842.
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Paget, James, et al. 1881. Vivisection: its pains and uses. [Three essays.] Nineteenth Century 10: 920–48.
Romanes, George John. 1881e. Mr. Darwin on the work of worms. [Review of Earthworms.] Nature, 13 October 1881, pp. 553–6.
Smith, Kenneth G. V. and Dimick, R. E. 1976. Darwin’s ‘American’ neighbour. Journal of the Society for the Bibliography of Natural History 8 (1976–8): 78–82.
Transactions of the International Medical Congress 1881: Transactions of the International Medical Congress, seventh session, held in London, August 2d to 9th, 1881. Prepared under the direction of William MacCormac. 4 vols. London: J. W. Klockmann. 1881.
Summary
Urges CD to write on vivisection for Nineteenth Century or suggest a competent scientific author. Forming an association to forward interests of vivisectionists.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13566
- From
- Philip Henry Pye-Smith
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Harley St, 56
- Source of text
- DAR 174: 82
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp †
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13566,” accessed on 17 August 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13566.xml