From J. S. Burdon Sanderson 14 May 1879
26, Gordon Square. | W.C.
May 14th 1879
Dear Mr. Darwin
I have this morning received your note. It would have arrived yesterday had it not been addressed to Queen Anne Street.1
The Baly in whose memory the Medal was instituted was the Translator of Müllers Physiology. The donor of the Medal Fund is Mr. Dyster, a friend of Balys and a man much interested in physiology, though not himself a naturalist.2
The Medal bears the words “Ob physiologiam feliciter excultam”.3 It is given every other year. The last recipient was Ludwig, the previous one Bernard & the previous one Sharpey.4
If you feel that it wd. be too fatiguing to attend at the College, it is not by any means indispensable that you should do so. Neither Bernard nor Ludwig were present. If you do come it will be a great pleasure to your friends. The only penalty that you would have to pay would be that of having to listen for an hour to the Harveian Orator. My neighbour Dr Pitman the Registrar of the College assures me that it could be easily arranged that you should come in at the end of the hour, in case you feel that this would be too fatiguing.5
It is not necessary (I again write on the authority of the Registrar) for the Medallist to say anything in acknowledgment. The Medal is presented immediately after the oration.
I may add that Mr Dyster has expressed his extreme gratification at the selection the College have made on the present occasion.
I am, Dear Mr Darwin | Yours truly | J B Sanderson
Footnotes
Bibliography
Daves, Margaret. 1981. Victorian naturalists in Tenby. Pembrokeshire Historian: Journal of the Pembrokeshire Local History Society 7: 16–23.
Wilks, Samuel. 1879a. The Harveian oration, delivered at the Royal College of Physicians, June 26th, 1879. London: J. & A. Churchill.
Summary
Has received CD’s letter [see 12050]. Gives CD the history of the Baly Medal and names previous recipients. It is not necessary for CD to be present for the award, but if he chooses to attend, arrangements could be made for him to arrive just before the presentation. CD will not be required to make an acceptance speech.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12052A
- From
- John Scott Burdon Sanderson, 1st baronet
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Gordon Square, 26
- Source of text
- University of British Columbia Library, Rare Books and Special Collections (Darwin - Burdon Sanderson letters RBSC-ARC-1731-1-41)
- Physical description
- ALS 6pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12052A,” accessed on 23 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12052A.xml