Parkstone, Dorset.
Nov[embe]r. 17th. 1893
My dear Poulton
The letter I wrote to you at Nottingham was returned to me here (after a month) so I did not think it worth while to send it to you again, though it did contain my congratulations on your appointment — which I now repeat. As you have not seen the paper I sent to the B[ritish] Ass[ociation] I will just say, that I should not have noticed the subject publickly [sic], but, after a friend had given me the photographs (sent with my paper) I came across the following statement in the new Ed[ition] of Chambers’ Encyclopoedia — Art[icle] [2] Deformities (by Prof[essor] A. Hare) — "In an increasing proportion of cases which are carefully investigated, it appears that material impressions, the results of shock or unpleasant experiences, may have a considerable influence in producing deformities in the offspring".
In consequence of this I sent the case which had been furnished me, & which is certainly about as well-attested and conclusive as anything can be. The facts are these: — A Gamekeeper had his right fore-arm amputated at the North Devon Infirmary. He left before it was healed thinking his wife could dress it, but as she was too nervous, a neighbour, a young recently married woman a farmer’s wife still living, came and dressed it every day till it healed. About six months after, she had a child born [3] without right hand and fore arm, the stump exactly corresponding in length to that of the Gamekeeper. Dr. Richard Budd, M.D., F.R.C.P. of Barnstaple, the Physician to the Infirmary, when the boy was 5 or 6 years old himself took a photograph of the boy & the Gamekeeper side by side, showing the wonderful correspondence of the two arms. I have these facts direct from Dr Budd who was personally cognizant of the whole circumstances. A few years after, in Nov[ember] 1876, Dr. Budd gave an account of the case & exhibited the Photographs to a large meeting at the College of Physicians; and I have no doubt it is one of the cases referred to in the article I have quoted, though Dr. Budd thinks it has never been published. [4]1 It will be at once admitted that this is not a chance coincidence, & that all theoretical difficulties must give way to such facts as this. It evidently produced a great effect at the B[ritish] Ass[ociation] since it led to the appointment of a Committee of Sect[ion] D. to collect evidence on this & collateral phenomena. Of course it by no means follows that similar causes sh[oul]d in all cases produce similar effects, since the idiosyncracy of the mother is no doubt an important factor; but where the combined coincidences are so numerous great as in this case — place, time, person, & exact correspondences of resulting deformity some causal relation must exist.
Believe me| Yours very truly| Alfred R. Wallace [signature]
Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP4395.4655)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Envelope addressed to "Prof E. B. Poulton F.R.S., Wykeham House, Banbury Road, Oxford", with stamp, postmarked "PARKSTONE | D | NO17 | 93"; postmark on back. [Envelope (WCP4395.4656)]
[1] [p. 57]
Parkstone, Dorset
November 17, 1893.
My dear Poulton1,—The letter I wrote to you at Nottingham was returned to me here (after a month), so I did not think it worth while to send it to you again, though it did contain my congratulations on your appointment,2 which I now repeat. As you have not seen the paper I sent to the British Association, I will just say that I should not have noticed the subject publicly but, after a friend had given me the photographs (sent with my paper), I came across the following statement in the new edition of Chambers' Encyclopaedia, art. Deformities (by Prof. A. Hare3): "In an increasing proportion of cases which are carefully investigated, it appears that maternal impressions, the result of shock, or unpleasant experiences, may have a considerable influence in producing deformities in the offspring." In consequence of this I sent the case which had been [2] [p. 58] furnished me, and which is certainly about as well attested and conclusive as anything can be. The facts are these:
A gamekeeper had his right forearm amputated at the North Devon Infirmary. He left before it was healed, thinking his wife could dress it, but as she was too nervous, a neighbour, a young recently married woman, a farmer's wife, still living, came and dressed it every day till it healed. About six months after she had a child born without right hand and forearm, the stump exactly corresponding in length to that of the gamekeeper. Dr. Richard Budd, M.D., F.R.C.P.,4 of Barnstaple, the physician to the infirmary, when the boy was five or six years old, himself took a photograph of the boy and the gamekeeper side by side, showing the wonderful correspondence of the two arms. I have these facts direct from Dr. Budd, who was personally cognisant of the whole circumstances. A few years after, in November 1876, Dr. Budd gave an account of the case and exhibited the photographs to a large meeting at the College of Physicians, and I have no doubt it is one of the cases referred to in the article I have quoted, though Dr. Budd thinks it has never been published. It will be at once admitted that this is not a chance coincidence, and that all theoretical difficulties must give way to such facts as this... Of course it by no means follows that similar causes should in all cases produce similar effects, since the idiosyncrasy of the mother is no doubt an important factor; but where the combined coincidences are so numerous as in this case—place, time, person and exact correspondence of resulting deformity—some casual relation must exist.—Believe me yours very truly,
Alfred R. Wallace
Status: Draft transcription [Published letter (WCP4395.6423)]
For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Please cite as “WCP4395,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 28 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4395