Ɛpsilon

To Leonard Rudd   18 April [1874]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent.

Ap. 18th

Dear Sir

I am much obliged to your kindness for communicating to me the case of additional mammæ.2 This very interesting abnormality does not seem very rare, if I may judge from the number of cases sent to me.3 The statement of the mammæ enlarging every month is quite new; but I do not understand its meaning, for I do not gather that this commonly occurs with women.—

With my best thanks, Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from Leonard Rudd, 12 April 1874.
3
For reported cases of supernumerary mammae, see Correspondence vol. 19, letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 February 1871, and letter from R. H. Tiddeman, 23 March 1871. CD also mentioned additional cases in Descent 2d ed., p. 36 n. 38.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.2 mammæ] after del ‘ad’
1.3 statement] above del ‘fact’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9416,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9416