l x I N T R O D U C T I O N T O V O L U M E 1 6 health crisis had been became apparent in one of his letters, thanking well-wishers for his fiftieth birthday congratulations, when he wrote that the previous year he had “almost found [himself] pushing up daisies” (Doc. 469). Other members of the Einstein family also dealt with serious medical issues. In the summer of 1927, his stepdaughters, Ilse and Margot, both suffered from poor health (Doc. 21). It eventually became apparent that Ilse was not merely experienc- ing a recurrence of her previous gastric and digestive ailments.[36] By January 1928, she was in the care of Swiss psychiatrist Dumeng Bezzola in the Engadine town of Celerina, being treated for nervous disorders. Margot stayed with her older sister, whom Einstein described as being “severely ill” (Docs. 120, 131). Zangger reported that Bezzola hinged the success of Ilse’s treatment on limiting Elsa’s over- involvement in her daughter’s life (Doc. 149). The Einsteins thus only saw Ilse for short visits while vacationing in nearby Zuoz (Doc. 160). A few months later, Ein- stein noted that Bezzola’s treatment had been beneficial, though Ilse remained ill (Doc. 224). Indeed, her serious health issues continued, especially after a May 1929 surgery failed (Doc. 533). Medical concerns figured in Einstein’s interactions with his sons as well. In the previous volume, Einstein’s relationship with his elder son, Hans Albert, became severely strained over the young man’s intention to marry Frieda Knecht, whom Einstein considered genetically damaged.[37] The May 1927 wedding seems to have led, at least initially, to Einstein taking a more conciliatory stance on the mat- ter. In fact, by September, he was even assisting in Hans Albert’s efforts to secure a new professional position. Moreover, Einstein expressed his pleasure that neither of his sons had become scientists—the first instance of such a statement in extant documentation (Doc. 57). Yet by December 1927 it was obvious that Einstein had not reconciled himself to Hans Albert’s marriage. Alluding to his previous disparagement of his daughter- in-law’s genetic pedigree, Einstein told Eduard that he “could not forget” Hans Albert’s “sin” because “the deterioration of the race” was one of the worst possible phenomena. He therefore preferred to avoid meeting with him in person (Doc. 108), while remaining concerned with his son’s well-being. Zangger in- formed Einstein that Hans Albert had lost weight because Frieda was not properly caring for him, sparking an attack by Einstein on his daughter-in-law as “this com- pletely worthless, useless old bag who is dragging him down.” He told Zangger he would refrain from involving himself with Hans Albert as long as he remained un- der Frieda’s influence (Docs. 120, 123).