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CHAPTER IV
LEHRJAHRE AND WANDERJAHRE
PART I. MEDICAL STUDIES AND THE FLIGHT TO CONSTANTINOPLE

BEFORE Francis Galton started work at Birmingham, a delightful trip for the sixteen year old boy was arranged in July, 1838. He travelled across Europe with two young medical men, Bowman and Russell, who were going on a tour combining pleasure of travel with inspection of continental hospital practice. The link with Bowman is pretty clear ; he was the son of John Eddowes Bowman, a naturalist and banker of Wrexham. He had been a pupil of Joseph Hodgson and then house-surgeon to the General Hospital, Birmingham; in the previous year he had gone to London to study at King's College, and he was later well known to fame as Sir William Bowman, the ophthalmic surgeon. Of Russell the only knowledge I possess is that conveyed by Galton himself in his long letters to his own father.

Wednesday Night 25 of July, 1838

OLD HUMMu 1s

MY DEAR GOVENOR [siC]

First of all the things that I send are those that are over and above what I want; there is much grumbling about the size of my carpet bag. Now to my history. I arrived at the Coventry Station house at about 9. Accordingly I looked

about Coventry till it was 2 past and returned and took my station on the steps; at 25 minutes to 10 the train came up-prominent out of one of the carriages was a pale jaundicy face, to which face was attached a most indescribable proboscis across which

glittered a pair of spectacles. Before even the train stopt the mouth of the foresaid face was engaged at bawling out the name of "Galton" in such a tone that the passengers of the other carriages simultaneously popped their heads out of the windows expecting some awful calamity. I accordingly, most awfully ashamed for the police officer had taken up the hue and cry, and Galton was the burden of the song, elbowed my way to where the yellow face was bawling, introduced myself, Russel'sl eyes glistened through

' The spelling varies of this name.


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