To James Paget   14 July 1879

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

July 14th. 79

My dear Paget.

It was very kind of you to take the trouble to hunt up the enclosed old Book.— I have been glad to see it, as at least showing that Dr. D’s views were attended to; & I have read it, as these old views on fever seem curious rubbish.—1 I fear that my little life of Dr. D. will be a very poor affair, & never again will I be tempted out of my proper work.2

Believe me yours very sincerely | Charles Darwin

1
CD had visited Paget on 27 June 1879 and may have borrowed the book at that time (see letter to James Paget, 28 June [1879]). The book was probably Comparative view of the theories and practice of Drs Cullen, Brown and Darwin (Baeta 1800), which CD made reference to in Erasmus Darwin, p. 107 n.
2
Henrietta Emma Litchfield had found CD’s essay for Erasmus Darwin dull, but other family members were more positive in their assessment (see, for example, letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] and n. 9).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-12156,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-12156