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277A
Allenstein, Garrison Hospital
3 June 1915
Dear Professor,
You are right—it is indeed a long time since I last wrote to you. Your reminder will now at least have a result. I shall first tell you about all that has happened in the meantime. My wife spent the first week of May with me. We had some beautiful days together, although my duties kept me fairly busy. Shortly after my wife's departure your letter arrived, but, almost at the same time, came the news that our little boy had fallen ill with diphtheria immediately after his mother's return. That gave me a worrying time, mitigated only by the fact that I could telephone Berlin every day. At times, indeed, even this was not possible because of a communications block. Two serum injections helped our patient very well. He is already quite lively again, but must still be kept quiet and suffers still from a quite mild albuminuria and paresis of the soft palate.—For the last fortnight I have been overwhelmed with work, sometimes even at night. I waited in vain for a day of peaceful writing. Today, because of the Feast of Corpus Christi, it is Sunday working in the hospital, which lets me carry out my intention at last.
I will first continue my report of last time and tell you some more about our small son, who really is a pillar of Ψα. I think I did not tell you what his parting words were when I left for Allenstein in March. You may remember that I had gained his confidence and admiration through the incident with the rapier. When saying good-bye, he only said: “Papa, perhaps you will win the battle!” The best he has produced so far came after my wife's return from Allenstein. On the day after her