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Darwin Correspondence Project

From Gustaf Retzius   3 October 1879

31 Cambridge Street, Hyde Park Sq. L—n

3/10 79.

Dear Sir,

Last night I received your exceedingly kind invitation to come down to your house.1 It would have been a very great honour and pleasure to me to have seen you, but hearing on my arrival here from Professor Hæckel2 that you were out of health and knowing how very precious your time is for science and humanity I did not want to disturb you for a moment and do not feel it right to come now and fatigue you by a visit. I believe that the work I am now engaged in—the organ of hearing of the vertebrates, from that of the fishes to that of man—will interest you. I have been unable to get on with it as far as I hoped; I came to London to get exotic batrachians and reptiles, but I have been very unsuccessful in this. When my work once will be ready, I hope to have the honour of sending it to you or perhaps, if you will allow it then, to bring it myself.3

Mrs. Retzius4 joins with me in kindest regards and thanks to Mrs. Darwin.

I remain, dear Sir, | your most devoted and faithful | Gustaf Retzius

Footnotes

Ernst Haeckel was in London in early September 1879 (letter from Ernst Haeckel, 30 August 1879); he visited CD on 5 and 6 September (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)).
CD’s copy of the first volume of Retzius 1881–4 is in the Darwin Library–Down; Retzius sent it by post (see letter to Gustaf Retzius, 21 December 1881, Calendar no. 13574b).

Bibliography

Retzius, Gustaf. 1881–4. Das Gehörorgan der Wirbelthiere: morphologisch-histologische Studien. I. Das Gehörorgan der Fische und Amphibien. II. Das Gehörorgan der Reptilien, der Vögel und der Säugethiere. 2 vols. Stockholm: Samson & Wallin.

Summary

Declines invitation to Down, having heard from Haeckel of CD’s poor health.

Working on vertebrate organ of hearing from fishes to man.

Unsuccessful at getting exotic batrachians and reptiles in London.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-12246
From
Magnus Gustaf (Gustaf) Retzius
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Cambridge St, 31
Source of text
DAR 176: 123
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12246,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12246.xml

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