Ɛpsilon

To W. W. Baxter   11 December [1873–5?]1

Please to send Bottle of “Hydrated Magnesia” if you have any.—2 It is thicker than cream, & I think slightly opake.—

Please mark dose.—

C. Darwin

Down. Dec. 11th.

1
The year range is conjectured from a note on the letter reading ‘About 1874?’ that may have been made by William Baxter (1861–1934), the son of William Walmisley Baxter.
2
Hydrated magnesia (magnesium hydroxide; Mg(OH)2) was used as a purgative (Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal 62 (1844): 559).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-13772G,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-13772G