How did Charles Darwin die?
Darwin was deeply affected by the death of his older brother Erasmus (“Ras”) in August 1881, and it is conjectured that his grief may have exacerbated the seriousness of his own poor health. In early 1882 he had several minor heart attacks. His condition worsened and on April 19, 1882, at 73 years of age, he died at Down House, after several hours of nausea, intense vomiting and retching, symptoms of a chronic illness that bedeviled him for the last 40 years of his life. At his bedside, and attending to his needs, were his wife Emma, his daughter Henrietta and his son Francis. Darwin’s last words, spoken to his wife Emma, were in actuality, “I am not in the least afraid to die.
