…but I’ve taken a pinch of snuff in Charles Darwin’s study at Down House in Kent! I went with my family last week and had a great time, for those who haven’t been its well worth a visit. The man himself was facinating (even if you don’t agree with his scientific findings) The house has been wonderfully preserved by English Heritage and even the gardens are all open to the public and lovingly maintained. The house itself is beautiful full of interesting information about his long travels abroad and his findings. They have even managed to preserve and display a surprising number of his personal belongings including notebooks (I love Darwin’s spidery handwriting!) most of his furnishings, biological samples personally collected by him and, of course, snuff boxes! They even have a first edition copy of ‘The Origin of Species’ on display.
That is all kinds of cool, Lazarus! I wonder if Darwin himself was a snuffer?
Darwin was a huge snuffer. I saw a movie about him not long ago, and he was snuffing.
Good to know, Xander. I hope he was a real snuffer, unlike Napoleon. Lazarus: you didn’t by any chance catch sight of any of his snuff boxes while you were there, did you?
Debbie, there are stories about how he moved his tabletop snuff box into the hallway and off his desk to slow himself down. In the movie I saw, his daughter put a huge pile of snuff on the back of his hand for him to take in one scene. He then followed with a tremendous sneeze. I don’t know how real life that was, I think we know more about snuff than the movie makers do.
At one point it is said he moved his snuffbox to the neighbors house, for the same reason he moved it orginaly into the hallway. The result he spent more time with the neighbor.
They made alot of mention of Darwin’s love of snuff in the house. There is even a mock-up of what Darwin’s cabin aboard the HMS Beagle would have looked like and there was a representation of Darwin inside taking a pinch of snuff! Debbie, unfortunately I didn’t catch sight of the snuff boxes, I am sure they are on display but I was too busy chasing my son around the house so didn’t get to see all of it! I am definately going back
It’s proof that snuff makes you smart LOL Joking aside, I am really glad to know one of the biggest figures in science was one of us
@ itsuke. He claimed that snuff worked like brain lube. Basicly he said one of things he liked about it was how much it made the functions of the brain smooth. I forget the excate qoute.
This is waaaay cool! As a science major, I spent countless hours reading his writings and published material about his life. Thanks for the insight.
@Bakdoor I’m currently reading ‘Voyage of the Beagle’ i’m finding it very interesting but i’m not a scientist so struggle at times especially when it gets technical but I love reading about the different animals he encounters as well as the local tribes he has dealings with. To spend five years on a small ship sailing around the world must have been quite an adventure! Imagine how much British snuff he would have to have brought with him! lol
Might encourage to realize he wasn’t really a scientist when he went on the beagle. He’s kind of self made that way.