Ɛpsilon

To J. S. Burdon Sanderson   13 May 1879

Bassett | Southampton

May 13. 79

My dear Sanderson,

I have been astonished by the announcement yesterday that the R. Coll of Physns has awarded me the Baly Medal; & I am asked to attend to receive it after the Harveian Oration.1 I mention this because I have thought that you could give me some idea how long the oration lasts, & at what hour it takes place; for I am not a little afraid of the exertion. Am I expected to make any speech & if so would a few words suffice? Any information would be gratefully received. Who was Baly   was he the translator of Müller?2

Pray forgive me for applying to you in my perplexity.

Yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin

LS(A)

1
The Baly medal was awarded biennially by the Royal College of Physicians of London. See letter from H. A. Pitman, 9 May 1879 and nn. 1 and 2.
2
William Baly had translated Johannes Müller’s Handbuch der Physiologie des Menschen für Vorlesungen (J. Müller 1833–7) into English as Elements of physiology (J. Müller 1838–42). CD’s annotated copy of the translation is in the Darwin Library–CUL.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Bassett | Southampton] in CD’s hand above del ‘Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12050,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12050