Erasmus Alvey Darwin: Encyclopedia II - Erasmus Alvey Darwin - Retirement

Erasmus Alvey Darwin - Retirement

In the summer of 1829 he gave up medicine as his father Doctor Robert Waring Darwin considered that Erasmus's "delicate frame" could not withstand a career "involving, if successful, a severe strain on body & mind" and decided to pension him off. Eras was "very agreeable" to retiring at the age of 26 and planned to live in London with "an air cushion in his rooms" to allow a visiting Charles to stay with him. The brothers visited the Birmingham Music Festival for what Charles described as the "most glorious" experience. That Christmas Charles visited Eras in London for three weeks, making use of the air-bed, then again at Easter 1831 before "geologising" in Wales, but as Erasmus was out of town when the opportunity to join the Voyage of the Beagle came up, Charles took lodgings in London to make his arrangements. The departure was delayed, and Erasmus visited Portsmouth for a few days to be shown round HMS Beagle by Charles. He was still on board on the morning of 10 December to say his farewells just before she set out.

There was an open secret in the family in 1833 that Erasmus was carrying on with Fanny Wedgwood, Hensleigh Wedgwood's wife, and as his sister Catherine wrote to Charles, "Papa continually prophesies a fine paragraph in the Paper about them". The Wedgwoods had a baby, ending his "junkitting at her house", but the affair resurfaced so Erasmus was "paired off" with Emma Wedgwood to avert "an action in the Papers."

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Retirement", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki