Ɛpsilon

To William Jenner   20 March [1882]1

[Down.]

Sir

I am much obliged for the honour of your invitation to attend the meeting at the C. of Phys. on the 28th.— I feel a deep interest in the success of the proposed Association;—for I am convinced that the benefits to mankind to be derived from basing the practice of medicine on a solid scientific foundation cannot be overestimated.—2 I therefore regret much that it is impossible for me to attend the meeting on account of the present state of my health.—3

I beg leave to remain | Sir | Your obedient servant | Charles Darwin

Mar 20th

Pres.— Coll of Physicians

ADraftS

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from P. H. Pye-Smith, 18 March 1882.
2
The invitation from Jenner has not been found, but see the letter from P. H. Pye-Smith, 18 March 1882. The proposed Science Advancement Association had been discussed in the letter from T. L. Brunton, 12 February 1882.
3
CD mentioned being very unwell for several days in his letter to W. D. Crick, 10 March [1882].

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 feel a] ‘a’ after del ‘the’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13731,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13731