From Henry Wilson 28 November 1876
29 Baggot Street | Dublin.
28 Nov 1876
Dear Sir
I beg to forward you representations of one of the most remarkable human faces which has come under my notice knowing that you are interested in such subjects1
The man was a patient under my care in St Mark’s Ophthalmic Hospital suffering from Cataract in both eyes— Unfortunately there was no photograph done prior to operation when he was quite blind— the pictures I send you were done after he recovered the sight of both eyes & the expression of the face became much less animal. His age was 60 & he was considerably curved at the upper part of the spine & shoulders. The Brows were very prominent & also the under lip, he was 6 feet high
The measurements were taken by the late Sir Wm. Wilde2 who was much interested in the man’s appearance
From | Meatus | to Glabella 5 inches |
— | — | to Vertex 5 |
" | " | to occipitae Protuberariae 4 |
Between tips of auricles 53 |
His father presented a similar appearance.
I am yours truly | H. Wilson
I should mention the man exhibits the ordinary intelligence of the Irish peasant
Footnotes
Bibliography
Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
ODNB: Oxford dictionary of national biography: from the earliest times to the year 2000. (Revised edition.) Edited by H. C. G. Matthew and Brian Harrison. 60 vols. and index. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004.
Summary
Sends photograph of man with peculiar facial features, whom HW treated at St Mark’s Ophthalmic Hospital.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-10691
- From
- Henry Wilson
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Dublin
- Source of text
- DAR 181: 128
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10691,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10691.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24