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Darwin Correspondence Project

To Bromley Rural Sanitary Authority   [1873?]1

Gentlemen

Mr Eng. resided in the village of Down for about 9 years & during this time very frequently attended my family, in his medical capacity— I had thus an excellent opportunity for observation, & I can [heartily] state that I ever found him most intelligent, obliging & energetic. He evinced on more than one occasion in a difficult case great medical skill. I believe that he could make an excellent sanitary officer if elected as medical officer of Health of this district2

Footnotes

1
The year is suggested by the establishment in October 1873 of a new post of Medical Officer of Health for Bromley and neighbouring sanitary districts. This was set up in order to comply with the Public Health Act of 1872 (Matthew Greenhalgh, Gentlemen landowners and the middle classes of Bromley: the transfer of power and wealth?, PhD thesis abstract, https://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/6377/4/Matthew%20Greenhalgh%201995.pdf, p. 182, accessed 4 February 2022).
2
Stephen Paul Engleheart left Down in 1870; he later lived in Norfolk. There is no record of his holding any other official post in Kent, although he had previously been a medical officer of the Bromley Union.

Summary

Gives opinion on the merits of Mr [Stephen P. J.] Eng[leheart (Darwin family doctor)]. Believes he would make an excellent county officer if elected to the district office of health.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8704
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Bromley Rural Sanitary Authority
Sent from
unstated
Source of text
DAR 96: 165
Physical description
ADraft 1p

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8704,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8704.xml

letter

Darwin Correspondence Project
darwin@lib.cam.ac.uk

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