RECORD: Darwin, C. R. n.d. Abstract of Bert, Recherches sur les mouvements de la Sensitive. CUL-DAR209.15.75. (John van Wyhe ed., 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online, http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed by Christine Chua and John van Wyhe, edited by John van Wyhe 5.2023. RN2
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-DAR209.15 contains notes and photographs for Darwin's book Movement in plants (1880).
75
(3
distance to which excitement is transmitted.
(a) There is no central organ to be excited, & to reflect the excitement. (But if I am right about glands of Drosera there really as ganglia to & reflect excitement from those of central disc.
p. 44 says that the "impassionabilite & la transmissibilitè" impassionability & transmittance of impressions does agree agree would remarkably with animals — If a an animals were like Sensitive, the nerves wd convey impassions without any nervous centre, & one nerve by mere approximation wd affect another nerve & this is not case with animals.—
[in margin:] Bears on marginal [illeg]
Action of Anæsthetic does not prove similarity, for with animals, the muscular contractibility & the power of transmission in the nerves are less perfect, only the nervous centre & by actual contact the same muscular sensory nerves are affected; whilst with the sensitive Plant
75v
(a) Say as M. Bert has shown there are no true reflex actions with the Sensitive, as there is no central organ or organs.
I do not see how we can tell with Drosera whether it is the excitability of the glands or power of transmission which is affected by Anæsthetics.
(4
it stops the anæsthetics strike with immobility the plant in whatever position it may happen to be — it destroys the excitability & the power of movement of in the swellings at base of leaves & petioles — it stops the power of transmission of the fibro-vascular bundles — The vibratile ciliæ of animals are affected by anæsthetics like the Sensitive.
If the glands of Drosera are ganglia— they are effected.
He admits that ether acts locally on sensory nerves of animals—
How can he tell that Ether when inhaled [illeg] if does not act on them all over body?
It may be with Drosera, that ether only stops power of transfers from glands to bending points—
75bv
It is remarkable that the m. I shd be sent through cellular tissue by fibre in Mimosa
Paul Bert. 1866. Recherches sur les mouvements de la Sensitive (Mimosa pudica. Linn.). Mémoires de la Société des Sciences physiques et naturelles de Bordeaux 4 no. 2: 11-46.
Citation: John van Wyhe, ed. 2002-. The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online. (http://darwin-online.org.uk/)
File last updated 25 January, 2026