The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. I am assured by Mr S[utton]. CUL-DAR195.3.67. Edited by John van Wyhe (Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and edited by John van Wyhe 6.2022. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Darwin Online manuscript catalogue, enter its Identifier here. Reproduced with permission of the Syndics of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. The volume CUL-DAR195 contains materials for Darwin's book Expression of the emotions (1872) organised roughly as: DAR195.1 blushing. DAR195.2 astonishment, fear. DAR195.3 indignation, rage, screaming, etc. DAR195.4 laughter, frowning, introduction.

Darwin wrote this note on the back of a note from Francis Darwin. The editors of the Correspondence noted that Darwin used Francis' information "with almost the same wording", in Expression, p. 259.

"Sutton, Seth, 1828-1902. Keeper at zoological gardens. 1867 Corresponded with CD about expression in apes. 1870 Jan. 5 CD to Abraham Dee Bartlett, S was a keeper at the Zoological Society of London's Gardens, Regent's Park, who made many observations on monkeys for Expression. CCD18." (Paul van Helvert & John van Wyhe, Darwin: A Companion, 2021)

[67]

6QA

Dear Father

Sutton says that the monkeys are often sick but he cannot say whether they do it voluntarily or not ─ But as they often do it when if good health it looks as if they could I think

Yrs affect

F Darwin

[67v]

This suspicion receives some slight support from the fact, of which I am assured by Mr S. that the m. in the z. gardens often vomit; when in good health, which looks as if it was done voluntarily, we can see that with [illeg] owing to his power of handing down [human] knowledge, by [communicating] what food to avoid there would be less occasion [illeg] having to use the faculty of voluntarily throwing up food from the stomach; so that the power wd tend through disuse to be lost. ─

[Expression, p. 259: "This suspicion receives support from the fact, of which I am assured by Mr. Sutton, that the monkeys in the Zoological Gardens often vomit whilst in perfect health, which looks as if the act were voluntary. We can see that as man is able to communicate by language to his children and others, the knowledge of the kinds of food to be avoided, he would have little occasion to use the faculty of voluntary rejection; so that this power would tend to be lost through disuse."]

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