The Real Reason Charles Darwin Didn't Become A Medical Doctor

Publish date: 2024-05-04

During Charles' studies in medicine, he was required to observe a surgical procedure. In the 19th century, surgeries could be gruesome and torturous. Operations were done with neither sterilization nor anesthetics. As medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris stated in an interview with The Washington Post, "Patients had no choice but to be awake the entire time. There are medical accounts that just describe the sheer screaming and struggles of patients against the knife."

Charles was traumatized at the sight of blood during the procedure. He soon dropped out of school without completing his medical course, much to his father's disappointment. Aside from being squeamish at the sight of blood, Darwin also found the lectures mundane. In his autobiography, Charles described one of his instructors: "Dr. Munro made his lectures on human anatomy as dull as he was himself, and the subject disgusted me" (via Hektoen International).

Charles' fear of blood followed him throughout his life. According to The New Atlantis, even seeing a small scratch on his children would make him queasy, and seeing leeches sucking blood on wounds made him feel sick.

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