1884.08.18 English
- Edgar Collin, 1836-1906. Photo: The Royal Library
R. Malling Hansen
THE ROYAL INSTITUTE
FOR THE DEAF-MUTE
COPENHAGEN
18/8 84
Dear Mr Edgar Collin!
Kindly hand over the writing ball to my messenger, and it will be repaired promptly – and it is indeed recommended very strongly to use it daily. I ask you kindly to pass on the attached to the Editor-in-chief Mr Hjort-Lorentzen. I venture to hope that when he realizes that my lecture contained completely different things than those that he so kindly accepted for publication previously – that he will be pleased – and presumably also please his readers – and accept the attached summary as if it emanated from the paper itself – for example from you, my dear friend. I am even brazen enough to imagine that because of my lecture it was declared, from a most competent side and with full endorsement from the learned and numerous crowd, that my work contains extremely interesting elements with new results etc[1]- well, in summary that finally something new was presented at the congress[2], then this material may, in due course, also find its way to the ‘Nationaltidende’. It will be included in the paper this evening, will it not?
Best wishes
Your devoted
R. Malling Hansen
[1] CB: My little suspicion about a modicum of consumption of red wine is confirmed here. The hand-writing is illegible – and the sentences incoherent.(JMC/translator’s comment: Indeed, the letter is incoherent, and the sentences do not always link with each other in a logical way. I have tried to strike a balance here – providing a rendition that preserves the original text and style, and yet taking some liberty in terms of interpreting what RMH really wanted to say)
[2] CB: A number of major medical congresses were held during this period, at which RMH presented his findings about Oscillations in the Growth of Children and Solar Heat – to much acclaim (I don’t recall the exact years of such congresses). It would be wonderful if we were able to compile, in future, a ‘calendar’ from 1835 until 1890, marking all the most important events in RMH’s life.
SA: The congress took place between August 10 and 16, hence Malling-Hansen’s letter was written immediately after the conclusion of the congress. Incidentally, it is worth noting that RMH himself takes the initiative to having ‘Nationaltidende’ write about his speech, indeed he even wishes his own written summary to be published in the paper as if it had been drafted by one of the paper’s staff members! There must have been a very close and trusting relationship between RMH and the journalist Edgar Collin!
These are a few facts about the congress, found by an internet search:
International Medical Congress in Copenhagen in 1884:
Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) this year participates in the huge medical congress in Copenhagen. Peter Ludwig Panum (1822 – 1885) (the name behind the Panum Institute of Copenhagen) presided over the congress. Among other famous participants were Joseph Lister (1827 – 1912), James Paget (1814 – 1899), Rudolf Wirchow (1821 - 1902) and Armauer Hansen (1841 – 1912). At this congress Pasteur for the very first time presented his investigations regarding rabies. The Medical congress in August 1884 belongs to the more unusual events in the history of the Tivoli Gardens (Amusement Park in the centre of Copenhagen, in that the festive part of the congress arrangements took place in Tivoli. The great fêted Pasteur, who had reported on his experiments with rabies, arrived by boat in the gardens.
On August 15, on the occasion of the medical congress the King holds a banquet at Christiansborg Castle. It was to become the last banquet at Christiansborg before the castle burnt on October 3, 1884.
- Christiansborg Castle, Copenhagen
- Tivoli Garden, Copenhagen - by night
