| Author(s) | Friedrich Engels |
|---|---|
| Written | 11 November 1884 |
ENGELS TO HERMANN ENGELS
IN BARMEN
London, 11 November 1884
Dear Hermann,
The sad news of Emil's[1] illness brought to me by your letter of 25 September did not come as a complete surprise. He himself had written to me from time to time about the state of his health and about the necessity he was in of spending the winter in the south; moreover your earlier letters also contained a number of allusions that gave me cause for anxiety. If tubercles have now finally appeared—not exactly common at our age—it is certainly a very bad sign, but I trust he will still be able to remain among us for a time and in a condition that does not make life too much of a burden to him. Nevertheless one pleasure he has still been able to experience, as I saw not long ago in the paper, is the opening of the Aggertal railway[2] to which he devoted so many years of incessant toil. Even though this little branch line may be far from what he had in mind, it is nevertheless better than nothing and will bring quite a different kind of life into the valley and Engelskirchen than has been the case hitherto.
I should have written to you sooner had not Hermann's[3] wedding intervened, at which time I wasn't absolutely sure where you were; since then there have been numerous interruptions and, on top of that, I have been up to my eyes in work. Moreover, for the past 18 months I, in my own person, have been sharply reminded of the frailty of the human body. What was actually wrong I shall probably never discover, but suffice it to say that the thing now seems to be righting itself and developing into some kind of hernial trouble (what is involved is not the prolapse of a piece of gut, but water in the abdomen). Besides, I have found a very efficient bandage-maker who has treated many cases of this kind, which are pretty rare as a rule, and has constructed a highly practical but in no way uncomfortable appliance for it. After lengthy experiments I can now manage it pretty well and am at last able to move about again and, what had hitherto proved a virtual impossibility, work at my desk. If things carry on like this, I shall be content; apart from relaxed muscles and ligaments, which is only natural after one has lain motionless on a sofa for so long, I no longer feel anything and am gradually becoming my old self again.
I trust you are all keeping well otherwise. Rudolf[4] would also seem to be on the mend again. He seems to have inherited father's constitution in many respects, for he too had constant trouble with his stomach until his forties but was then perfectly all right and would doubtless still be alive had not typhoid reft him away.
Please let me know soon how Emil and the rest of you are getting on and what Hedwig[5] is doing. No doubt Hermann will soon be returning from his honeymoon.
Fondest regards to all of you, brothers, sisters, Emma,[6] your children and you yourself.
Your
Friedrich