1876.05.28 English

THE ROYAL INSTITUTE

FOR THE DEAF-MUTE

                                                                                                      28 MAY 1876

MY DEAR B R O T H E R ! – I AM DEEPLY SORRY TO HEAR THAT YOU HAVE BEEN ILL, ESPECIALLY SINCE I AM AFRAID THAT YOU MAY REALLY HAVE CAUGHT SCARLET FEVER. IT CAN CAUSE SUCH A SLIGHT FLUSHING OF THE SKIN AND BE ACCOMPANIED BY SUCH AN INSIGNIFICANT DEGREE OF FEVER, THAT IT IS NOT RECOGNISED FOR WHAT IT IS UNTIL THE FLAKING OF THE SKIN STARTS; BUT IT IS REALLY DANGEROUS TO BE UP AND ABOUT; IT IS VERY EASY FOR OTHER BAD DISEASES TO JOIN IN.   RECENTLY I READ IN A NEWSPAPER THAT SCARLET FEVER CAN EVEN BE CONTAGIOUS THROUGH LETTERS; BUT I BELIEVED – AND STILL DO – THAT IT IS TOTALLY UNREASONABLE TO IMAGINE THAT THE INFECTION CAN SPREAD – IN PARTICULAR TO ADULTS – IN THIS MANNER; NEVERTHELESS, I CANNOT COMPLETELY KEEP DOWN MY FEAR THAT YOU, DEAR BROTHER, HAVE BEEN INFECTED FROM HERE. PLEASE DO BE VERY CAREFUL, AND PLEASE STAY IN BED, IF YOU FEEL THE SLIGHEST BIT INDISPOSED. PLEASE SEE THE DOCTOR AGAIN. DID YOU GET MY LETTER WHERE I TOLD YOU THAT ALSO EMMA AND ZARAH HAD BEEN INFECTED. BUT YESTERDAY AND TODAY ALL SEVEN CHILDREN ARE BEDRIDDEN FROM SCARLET FEVER, AND THE MAID HAS BEEN ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL BECAUSE OF THE SAME DISEASE. HOWEVER THEY ARE ALL SUFFERING VERY MILDLY. HOPEFULLY IT WILL HAVE A LENIENT COURSE. THIS AFTERNOON I AM EXPECTING A NURSING AIDE TO HELP MY DEAR CÄTHE TO LOOK AFTER THEM ALL. PLEASE DON’T START TRANSLATING THE LETTER I SENT YOU YESTERDAY, UNLESS YOU ARE COMPLETELY WELL.

GOD BE WITH US ALL!  WARMEST REGARDS TO DEAR SWEET MOTHER, TO DEAR BROTHER JOHN AND TO YOU DEAR BROTHER FROM YOUR DEEPLY DEVOTED BROTHER  R.M.H.

THERE IS NO HURRY WHATSOEVER WITH THE AMERICAN LETTER  WELL, IT IS ACTUALLY QUITE SUPERFLUOUS, SINCE I HAVE SAID THE SAME THING – ALL OF IT – TO ADLER.