Ɛpsilon

To Annie Dowie   27 July 1875

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S. E. R.)

July 27. 75

Dear Mrs Dowie

I hope that you will excuse my troubling you, & grant me a favour about which I feel deep interest. I gave an account of the regrowth of an extra digit in my Variation under Domestication, communicated to me by your Father; & I enclose an old proof sheet.1 Recently the possibility of such regrowth has been disputed at a public meeting in Munich,2 & Sir J. Paget has searched all Surgical works & consulted many surgeons, & is evidently very sceptical on the subject.3 I understand from your Father that Mr Syme was the ‘eminent surgeon’ who removed the digit for the first time.4 Now what I want especially to know is

(1) Was the hand shown to Mr Syme, after the digit had regrown; & who removed it on the second occasion?

(2) Can you tell me whether on this second growth the digit enclosed a bone, & was there any nail?

(3) After the digit had grown for the third time, did it contain a bone & was it furnished with a nail?5

(4) Has the digit since I published my book6 been removed for the third time; & has it grown again?

I feel how unreasonable I am to give so much trouble on a subject which may be painful to you; but I am correcting a new Edit & feel bound to get as correct information as possible.7 I hope I need not say that names shall not be mentioned by me. Might I write (if it seems advisable) to the surgeon who removed the digit on the second & third occasion to learn any surgical details; & in this case can you give the name & address of such surgeons.

I earnestly hope that you will do me this great kindness, & I remain | dear Mrs Dowie | Yours sincerely & obliged | Charles Darwin

LS(A)

1
In Variation 2: 14–15, CD reported a case of inherited polydactylism, including a child born with an extra finger that regrew after being surgically removed. Dowie’s father, Robert Chambers, died in 1871.
2
See letters from Anton Bachmaier, 4 February 1875 and n. 3, and 21 March 1875.
3
CD had first written to James Paget for information on supernumerary digits in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from James Paget, 7 February 1863, and letter to T. H. Huxley, [8 February 1863], n. 3). See also letter from James Paget, 14 August 1875.
4
The surgeon was James Syme. No correspondence with Robert Chambers about the case of supernumerary digits has been found.
5
For CD’s interest in the growth of nails on amputated digits, see letter from A. M. Lane Fox to E. F. Lubbock, 25 July [1875] and n. 4.
6
Variation was published in 1868.
7
CD altered his views on polydactylism in Variation 2d ed., withdrawing his support for the evidence of regrowth of amputated fingers (see Variation 2d ed. 1: 459).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.3 to me] interl in CD’s hand
3.1 growth] in CD’s hand above del ‘occasion’
4.1 third] in CD’s hand above del ‘second’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10096,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10096