The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 11 May [1873]. Note to Baxter's chemist 'Litmus paper'. CUCNY-HerterBox1[.2]. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Photograph courtesy of Kevin W. Schlottmann. Reproduced with the kind permission of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library and William Huxley Darwin.

William Baxter and his son W. W. Baxter were dispensing chemists in Bromley who provided Darwin with medicines and chemicals for his scientific work for many years and corresponded with him. On the mount is a long note in purple ink detailing how Christian Herter purchased this note in a bookshop in London in October 1903 and how it was later shown to Horace Darwin in Cambridge. Darwin's text is published in Correspondence vol. 21.

[1]

Please send me little book of Litmus Paper. & Bottle of Gum with brush, such as I have often had before

C. Darwin

Down, May 11th—

[pencil annotations in another hand (presumably a bookseller):] 8/- x/- Darwin

[written on the mount in another hand:]

This little note was found by C.A.H. in a bookstore in London in October 1903, and was afterwards shown to Mr Horace Darwin in Cambridge. Mr Darwin stated the signature to be genuine and showed a large number of his father's letters signed in the same characteristic manner ie. with the name divided as above. Mr Darwin explained that it was his fathers custom "during the years in which he studied insectivorous plants, to send each spring, when the drosera first appeared, to obtain various little necessaries having to do with their study, to a druggist some miles distant from Down the date of the note (May 11) corresponded to this explanation. The litmus paper was designed to test the reaction of the drosera's secretion'

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Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)