322 'DESCENT OF MAN '—EXPRESSION. [1871. 



Does yours? (N.B. — See what a man will do for science ; I 

 began this note with a horrid fib, namely, that I want you to 

 attend to a new point.*) I will try and get some persons 

 thus to act who are so lucky as not to know that they even 

 possess this muscle, so troublesome for any one making out 

 about expression. Is a shudder akin to the rigor or shiver- 

 ing before fever 1 If so, perhaps the platysma could be ob- 

 served in such cases. Paget told me that he had attended 

 much to shivering, and had written in MS. on the subject, 

 and been much perplexed about it. He mentioned that pass- 

 ing a catheter often causes shivering. Perhaps I will write 

 to him about the platysma. He is always most kind in aiding 

 me in all ways, but he is so overworked that it hurts my con- 

 science to trouble him, for I have a conscience, little as you 

 have reason to think so. Help me if you can, and forgive 

 me. Your murderer case has come in splendidly as the acme 

 of prostration from fear. 



Yours very sincerely, 



Ch. Darw^in. 



C. Darwin to Dr. Ogle. 



Down, April 29 [1871]. 



My dear Dr. Ogle, — I am truly obliged for all the great 

 trouble which you have so kindly taken. I am sure you have 

 no cause to say that you are sorry you can give me no definite 

 information, for you have given me far more than I ever ex- 

 pected to get. The action of the platysma is not very im- 

 portant for me, but I believe that you will fully understand 

 (for I have alv/ays fancied that our minds were very similar) 

 the intolerable desire I had not to be utterly baffled. Now I 

 know that it sometimes contracts from fear and from shud- 

 dering, but not apparently from a prolonged state of fear 

 such as the insane suffer 



* The point was doubtless described as a new one, to avoid the possi- 

 bility of Dr. Ogle's attention being directed to the platysma, a muscle 

 which had been the subject of discussion in other letters. 



