From Martin Ziegler1 21 November 1874
Très honoré Monsieur
J’ai lu dans un buletin scientifique allemand que vous étiez sur le point de publier un travail sur les Drosera;2 comme depuis quatre ans je me suis beaucoup occupé de l’étude de ces intéressantes plantes, je prends la liberté de vous envoyer le résultat de mes recherches, desquelles on peut déduire que les Drosera sont si admirablement organisées pour attrapper les insectes parceque précisement le milieu dans lequel les Drosera plongent leurs racines est totalement dépourvu de vie animale.3
Jusqu’au jour où l’on aura trouvé un instrument qui puisse signaler la présence de l’animalicité (force physique physiologique à laquelle j’ai donné le nom de Zoïcité) la Drosera sera bien précieuse aux physiologistes, car elle leur servira d’instrument de précision pour signaler et pour mesurer des agents depuis longtemps entrevus mais que jusqu’ici on n’avait su saisir.
J’ai la satisfaction Monsieur de pouvoir vous annoncer que prochainement je ferai deux nouvelles communications à l’académie des sciences, je me ferai un devoir de vous les adresser aussitôt qu’elles seront imprimées.4
Recevez Monsier avec mes salutations l’expression de mon plus profond respect. | Martin Ziegler
P.S. Je ne sais pas écrire en votre langue mais je lis l’anglais et je serai très heureux si vous vouliez m’honorer d’un mot de réponse.
M Z
le 21 Novembre 1874. Wesserling. Alsace
à Monsieur Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Insectivorous plants. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875.
Royal Society catalogue of scientific papers: Catalogue of scientific papers (1800–1900). Compiled and published by the Royal Society of London. 19 vols. and index (3 vols.). London: Royal Society of London. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1867–1925.
Ziegler, Martin. 1872. Atonicité et zoicité, sur un fait physiologique observé sur des feuilles de Drosera. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des sciences 74: 1227–9.
Translation
From Martin Ziegler1 21 November 1874
Most honoured Sir
I read in a German scientific bulletin that you were on the point of publishing a work on Drosera;2 since I have been occupying myself with the study of these interesting plants for the last four years, I am taking the liberty of sending you the result of my research, from which it can be deduced that Drosera are admirably organised so as to trap insects precisely because the medium into which Drosera plunge their roots is totally deprived of animal life.3
Until an instrument which can signal the presence of animalicity (the physiological physical force to which I have given the name of Zoicity) is found, Drosera will be very precious to physiologists, for it will be a precision instrument for them, signalling and measuring agents that have long been perceived but that, until now, no-one has been able to capture.
I have the satisfaction Sir of being able to inform you that I shall soon be making two new communications to the academy of sciences, I shall take it upon myself to send them to you as soon as they are printed.4
Please accept with my greetings, sir, my deepest respect. | Martin Ziegler
P.S. I cannot write in your language but I read English and I should be very happy if you were to honour me with a word in reply.
MZ
21 November 1874. Wesserling. Alsace.
to Mr Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
Insectivorous plants. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1875.
Royal Society catalogue of scientific papers: Catalogue of scientific papers (1800–1900). Compiled and published by the Royal Society of London. 19 vols. and index (3 vols.). London: Royal Society of London. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1867–1925.
Ziegler, Martin. 1872. Atonicité et zoicité, sur un fait physiologique observé sur des feuilles de Drosera. Comptes rendus hebdomadaires des séances de l’Académie des sciences 74: 1227–9.
Summary
On Drosera, with which MZ has worked for four years.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-9727
- From
- Martin Ziegler
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Wesserling
- Source of text
- DAR 184: 9
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp (French)
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9727,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9727.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 22