From W. E. Darwin   [15 April 1868]¹

My dear Father,

I saw Langstaff today, and gave him your letter to read.²

I misunderstood him about the two adults, they were both crying under operation; they were both women, one began crying from fear on being told of an operation she must undergo, the other from grief on account of a death.³ he has since watched two men under Chloroform for the platysma; and in neither case when rigidity came on from the chloroform, was the platysma contracted as he held the skin off the neck with his fingers, and could feel no change. But in each case, as the effect of the chloroform went off, and the men began to feel pain, parallel lines of twitching action passed up the platysma, as if it was trying to contract.⁴

L says that no doubt the lines you saw in Frank’s neck when screaming, were gorged veins, as the contraction of the muscles from clavicle to chin &c would contract their orifices & prevent return of blood.⁵

I shall see him again in a day or so.

Yours affect son | W. E. Darwin