DOCUMENT 381 SEPTEMBER 1917 515
[5]Natanson and Einstein
had
met
while the former
was
in Berlin
two
years
earlier
(see
Docs. 50
and
113).
381.
To
Michele Besso
[Berlin,]
22. IX.
[1917]
Lieber
Michele!
Es
geht
mir immer
ganz gut.
Einen
einzigen
kleinen
Anfall hab ich
gehabt,
ist
aber
wieder
vorbei.[1]
Es ist
rührend,
wie Ihr Euch
um
mich bekümmert. Das Futter
ist
gut,
und ich
liege
viel.
Heute
hab ich die
Quantentheorie
auf
den starren
Körper
(frei beweglich) angewendet.
Es ist lieb
von
Anna,
dass sie sich
um
meine Frau be-
kümmert.[2] Tete
muss
zurück;
ich kann das Geld
nicht
aufbringen;
habe
Miza
schon
geschrieben.[3]
An den
neuen
medizinischen
Zauber
mit der
Röntgenaufnah-
me glaube
ich nicht. Ich
bin
soweit,
dass
mir
nur
mehr
Diagnosen
post
mortem Ver-
trauen
einflössen,
sonst keine.
Lieber
Michele!
Jetzt
musst Du mich
bald
hier
besuchen.
In
der
neuen Wohnung
ist
es geräumig
und
behaglich.[4]
Kannst Du nicht Weihnachten
auf
einige
Wochen,
oder
Ostern? Gewöhne Dich bitte
langsam an
den
Gedanken!
Herzliche Grüsse
von
Euerm
Albert.
AKS
(SzGB).
Einstein/Besso 1972,40
(E. 32).
[7
317].
The
verso
is addressed “Durch Eilboten Herrn
Michele Besso Universitätsstr. 33
Zürich
(Schweiz),”
with return address “Abs. A. Einstein Haber-
landstr.
5 Berlin,”
and
postmarked
“Berlin W 30 22.9.17.
4-5N[achmittags].”
[1]Elsa
Einstein attributed the
relapse
in Einstein’s abdominal
disorder,
which had flared
up during
his
stay
with the Bessos in
Zurich, to
lengthy daily
walks in
Benzingen
in
early
September (see
Doc.
377,
note
5)
and to the fact that
during
the
20-hour train
journey
back
to
Berlin,
Einstein
had
eaten
only
three
dry
crusts
of
black “ration bread”
(“Kriegsbrot.”
See Elsa Einstein to Michele
Besso,
29
September 1917, SzGB).
In most
cases,
this bread
was
made
of
rye
and stretched with
potato
and
other
less
appetizing
fillers in
order
to ration the
precious
flour
supply
(see
Skalweit
1927,
pp.
29-35).
[2]Mileva Einstein-Maric
spent August
and
September
1917 in the
hospital
(see
Trbuhovic-Gjuric
1983, p. 122).
In late
August,
Besso
remarked that she
would
need assistance after
her
release and
indicated
that his
wife,
Anna
Besso-Winteler,
was prepared
to
help
out
(see
Michele Besso to Hein-
rich
Zangger,
30
August
1917,
SzZZa).
[3]By
the
end
of
August,
Besso
reported
that Einstein had
dipped
into his
reserves
to
keep
Eduard
in
Arosa
for
another
half
year
and
that
he
was
unable to
part
with
more
than 8000 marks
annually.
In
desperation,
Einstein
was even
toying
with the idea
of
moving
his Swiss
family
to Bavaria in order to
avoid further losses
in the
conversion
of
his German
salary
to Swiss
francs
(see
Michele
Besso to
Heinrich
Zangger,
30 August
1917, SzZZa).
Where
5600
marks had been
worth
7000 francs at the
outbreak of
the
war (see
Doc.
26, note
3),
the
exchange
rate
of
marks to
francs
had reversed
itself
by
September 1917: 8000
marks
were now
equivalent
to
5100 francs.
[4]At
his
new
residence
in
Haberlandstraße
5,
Einstein
had
“living quarters
connected”
(“zusam-
menhängende Wohnung”)
to that
of
his cousin
(see
Elsa Einstein
to Michele
Besso,
29
September
1917, SzGB).