From J. W. Clark 8 September 1877
Southampton | (High Street)
8 Sept 1877.
Dear Sir,
On my return from the Continent last month in turning over some old notes I came across the following singular case of inheritance confined entirely to one sex—1
June 1875— A friend informs me that his wife’s “large toes are united to the second toes by skin extending as far as the first joint.” This he says has been the case with all the females in her family for a long time— how long is not known. Of her 3 children the two eldest are girls who also possess the same pecularity the boy however does not, & it appears that no male member of the family were ever known to.
Believe me dear Sir yours most respectfully | J. W. Clark.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
An example of inheritance confined to one sex.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-11131
- From
- Joseph Warner Clark
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Southampton
- Source of text
- DAR 161: 156
- Physical description
- ALS 1p
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 11131,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-11131.xml