To James Crichton-Browne   2 November [1871]1

Down,

Nov. 2,

My dear Sir

I have some reason to believe, but have found it extremely difficult to get observations made, that the Platysma is very apt to contract during a rigor or shivering fit.2 If you have ever the chance to observe a patient in this state, will you kindly observe the muscle. I am just recommencing on my essay on Expression.3

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin.

Copy

1
The year is established by the reference to Expression (see n. 3, below).
2
CD had been investigating whether the platysma muscle contracted during the expression of fear and during shivering (see letter to Hubert Airy, 5 April [1871], and letter to William Ogle, 13 April [1871]).
3
In his ‘Journal’ (Appendix II), CD wrote that he had finished a ‘draft copy’ of Expression on 27 April 1871, and that he resumed work on the manuscript in November.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-8047,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-8047