I am much obliged for your kind note, and especially for your offer of
sending me some time corrections, for which I shall be truly grateful. I
know that there are many blunders to which I am very liable. There is
a terrible one confusing the supra-condyloid foramen with another one.
(471/1. In the first edition of the "Descent of Man," I., page 28,
in quoting Mr. Busk "On the Caves of Gibraltar," Mr. Darwin confuses
together the inter-condyloid foramen in the humerus with the
supra-condyloid foramen. His attention was called to the mistake by
Sir William Turner, to whom he had been previously indebted for other
information on the anatomy of man. The error is one, as Sir William
Turner points out in a letter, "which might easily arise where the
writer is not minutely acquainted with human anatomy." In speaking of
his correspondence with Darwin, Sir William remarks on a characteristic
of Darwin's method of asking for information, namely, his care in
avoiding leading questions.) This, however, I have corrected in all the
copies struck off after the first lot of 2500. I daresay there will be
a new edition in the course of nine months or a year, and this I will
correct as well as I can. As yet the publishers have kept up type,
and grumble dreadfully if I make heavy corrections. I am very far from
surprised that "you have not committed yourself to full acceptation" of
the evolution of man. Difficulties and objections there undoubtedly are,
enough and to spare, to stagger any cautious man who has much knowledge
like yourself.
I am now at work at my hobby-horse essay on Expression, and I have been
reading some old notes of yours. In one you say it is easy to see that
the spines of the hedgehog are moved by the voluntary panniculus. Now,
can you tell me whether each spine has likewise an oblique unstriped
or striped muscle, as figured by Lister? (472/2. "Expression of the
Emotions," page 101.) Do you know whether the tail-coverts of peacock or
tail of turkey are erected by unstriped or striped muscles, and whether
these are homologous with the panniculus or with the single oblique
unstriped muscles going to each separate hair in man and many animals? I
wrote some time ago to Kolliker to ask this question (and in relation to
quills of porcupine), and I received a long and interesting letter, but
he could not answer these questions. If I do not receive any answer (for
I know how busy you must be), I will understand you cannot aid me.
I heard yesterday that Paget was very ill; I hope this is not true. What
a loss he would be; he is so charming a man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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