The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online

RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1876. [Letter to C. J. Plumptre, 1873?]. In C. J. Plumptre, King's College lectures on elocution; or, the physiology and culture of voice and speech, and the expression of the emotions by language, countenance, and gesture. New edition. London: T. J. Allman, pp. 224-5.

NOTE: See record in the Freeman Bibliographical Database, enter its Identifier here. See the notes on this letter in Correspondence vol. 24, p. 535.

[page] 224

Down, Beckenham, Kent.

My Dear Sir,

I thank you for your very obliging letter, and for the information in regard to Delsarte's views respecting the eyes. Although it is

[page] 225

very easy to deceive one's self on such a point, yet after reading over what I have said, I cannot think that we are in error. Surely the different appearance of the eyes in hectic fever, and during great exhaustion to which Dr. Piderit alludes, cannot be accounted for simply by the position of eyelids and eyebrows. Could you not observe the eyes of some one looking grave, and then smiling? I will endeavour to do so.

I remain, my dear Sir,

Yours faithfully,

Charles Darwin.

August 19th.

C. J. Plumptre, Esq.

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