Wells House Hydropathic Establishment, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, UK. Silver print late 19th Century. Darwin came here on the 4th of October to undergo \

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Wells House Hydropathic Establishment, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, UK. Silver print late 19th Century. Darwin came here on the 4th of October to undergo \the water cure\" ready for the time that \"On the Origin of Species\" was published. He was under the supervision of the resident physician, Dr. Edmund Smith, a man who according to Darwin \"cared very much for the fee and very little for the patient\". Darwin was joined by Emma and his family on the 17th. Their daughter Henrietta recalled it as \"a time of frozen misery\". The family left again on the 24th November, the day \"On the Origin of Species\" was first published. Darwin however, stayed on, only leaving for London on the 7th December. Darwin's own health always deteriorated in times of stress, but in this case the good news that all the first run copies had sold out to booksellers on the first day must have been a comfort."

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Size: 5120px × 3413px
Photo credit: © PAUL D STEWART/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: artwork, charles, cure, darwin, emma, house, hydropathy, illness, illustration, origin, origins, publication, sickness, species, stress, water, wells