RECORD: Darwin, C. R. 1906. [Unrecorded letter, Teratological Catalogue, 20 November 1872]. The Autograph Collection formed by George S. Davis (of Detroit), For Sale at Auction, Monday April 30 (at 7.30 o'clock), Tuesday and Wednesday, May 1 and 2 (at 3 and 7.30 o'clock each day), The Anderson Auction Company, 5 West 29th Street, New York.

REVISION HISTORY: Transcribed and edited by John van Wyhe 11.2023. RN1

NOTE: See record in the Freeman Bibliographical Database, enter its Identifier here.

There is no other text by Darwin than the two words "Teratological Catalogue" and there is only one known letter from Darwin on this date, which is unrelated. Teratology is the study of congenital abnormalities, or birth defects. The catalogue is likely the one by Benjamin Thompson Lowne (1839-1925) who was Arris and Gale Lecturer on Anatomy and Physiology at the Royal College of Surgeons from 1876-1880: Lowne, B. T. 1872. Descriptive catalogue of the teratological series in the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. London. Darwin cited this in 1875 in Variation 2d ed.:

"In all such cases it is now thought by the greater number of capable judges that the homologous parts do not attract each other, but that in the words of Mr. Lowne:3 "As union takes place before the differentiation of distinct organs occurs, these are formed in continuity with each other." He adds that organs already differentiated probably in no case become united to homologous ones." Variation 2d ed. pp. 333-334, citing: "'Catalogue of the Teratological Series in the Museum of the R. Coll. of Surgeons,' 1872, p. xvi." The catalogue was recorded in Darwin's library: Catalogue of the Library of Charles Darwin. CUL-DAR240: "8 Teratological Series. By. B. Lowne. 8° 1872".

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

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