From Carl Vogt1 17 April 1867
Genève
ce 17 Avril | 1867.
Monsieur et cher Maître!
Ci-jointe, mirant votre désir, une photographie.2 Je pourrais presque dire avec Goethe: Da hast Du, weil Du’s willst, mein garstig Gesicht,— Aber meine Liebe, die siehst Du nicht!3
La votre m’a rappelé, d’une manière étonnante, un défunt ami, Théodore Parker de Boston.4
J’ai envoyé votre le⟨tt⟩re à Mr. Ricker— il tâchera de se consoler5
Bientôt, j’aurai le plaisir de vous envoyer un mémoire sur les microcéphales ou hommes-singes, fruit de mes études de l’année passée pour lesquelles la guerre me faisait des loisirs.6 J’arrive à la conclusion, que cette conformation anormale est un atavisme, qui ramène vers le point de départ des deux souches, homme et singes—mais que ce point de départ n’est plus représenté dans la creátion actuelle. Je pense avoir élucidé la question d’une manière satisfaisante—autant que le permettent les faits à notre disposition.
Votre livre nouveau traitant des animaux domestiques, vous aurez sans doute remarqué le beau mémoire de Mr. Nathusius sur le cochon domestique et ses métamorphoses. C’est extrèmement important, puis qu’il démontre, d’une manière peremptoire, les changements survenus dans la conformation de la tête et surtout du groin pas suite de la domesticité.7
Agréez, Monsieur, l’assurance de ma considération très distinguée. | Votre devoué | C Vogt
Mr. Ch. Darwin.
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
EB: The Encyclopædia Britannica. A dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information. 11th edition. 29 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1910–11.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. 1988. Gedichte 1800–32. Edited by Karl Eibl. Frankfurt am Main: Deutscher Klassiker Verlag.
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Nathusius, Hermann von. 1864. Vorstudien für Geschichte und Zucht der Hausthiere zunächst am Schweineschädel. 1 vol. and atlas. Berlin: Wiegandt und Hempel.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Vogt, Carl. 1867. Mémoire sur les microcéphales ou hommes-singes. Reprinted from Mémoires de l’Institute national genévois, vol. 11. Geneva: Georg, Libraire de l’Institute Genevois.
Translation
From Carl Vogt1 17 April 1867
Geneva
17 April | 1867
Dear Sir and Master,
Enclosed is a photograph as you wished.2 I could almost say with Goethe: Da hast Du, weil Du’s willst, mein garstig Gesicht— Aber meine Liebe, die siehst Du nicht! [There you have, as you wished, my ugly face— But you cannot see my love upon it!]3
Your photograph reminded me to an astonishing degree of my late friend, Theodore Parker of Boston.4
I sent on your letter to Mr. Ricker— he will try to console himself.5
Shortly I will have the pleasure of sending you a memoir on the Microcephalics or man-apes, the fruit of the studies for which the war gave me leisure in the past year.6 I come to the conclusion that this abnormal conformation is an atavism that leads back to the point of departure of the two stocks, man and apes—but that this point of departure is no longer represented in modern creation. I think that I have elucidated the question in a satisfactory manner—as far as the facts at our disposal permit.
As for your new work regarding domesticated animals, you will no doubt be aware of Mr. Nathasius’s fine paper on the domestic pig and its metamorphoses. This is extremely important since he demonstrates in a decisive manner the changes that have occurred in the conformation of the head and especially in the snout following domestication.7
I remain sincerely | Your devoted | C. Vogt
Mr. Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
EB: The Encyclopædia Britannica. A dictionary of arts, sciences, literature and general information. 11th edition. 29 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1910–11.
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von. 1988. Gedichte 1800–32. Edited by Karl Eibl. Frankfurt am Main: Deutscher Klassiker Verlag.
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Nathusius, Hermann von. 1864. Vorstudien für Geschichte und Zucht der Hausthiere zunächst am Schweineschädel. 1 vol. and atlas. Berlin: Wiegandt und Hempel.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Vogt, Carl. 1867. Mémoire sur les microcéphales ou hommes-singes. Reprinted from Mémoires de l’Institute national genévois, vol. 11. Geneva: Georg, Libraire de l’Institute Genevois.
Summary
Will send CD a memoir on Les microcéphales [1867]; CV believes microcephalism is an atavistic abnormality.
Recommends H. von Nathusius’ work on domestic pig [Die Racen des Schweines (1860)].
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5505
- From
- Carl Vogt
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Geneva
- Source of text
- DAR 180: 11
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp (French)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5505,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5505.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15