CHAPTER XIX 



Ill-health of his wife and sister-in-law — Journey to Tangiers through 

 Spain — Villefranohe — Baumgarten criticises the phagocyte theory. 



In 1884, Metchnikoff's work was interrupted by the 

 ill-health of my eldest sister and of myself ; physicians 

 considered that we had weak lungs and advised that 

 we should spend the winter in the South. Elie, full 

 of anxiety, hastened to take us there. 



My younger brothers were now old enough to 

 remain at school in our absence so as to go on with 

 their studies ; we therefore started with my two 

 sisters. As cholera was raging in Italy, we went to 

 Spain, hoping to find a place with a mild climate and 

 conditions favourable to my husband's work. But 

 we traversed the whole country without finding the 

 right combination, and, as we had come too far to 

 go back, we decided to spend the winter on the 

 African coast, at Tangiers, close to Gibraltar where we 

 were. 



MetchnikofE had not much taste for sight-seeing, 

 but, with his inquisitive and observing mind, liked to 

 understand what he saw, and never failed to acquaint 

 himself with the history of the countries which we 

 traversed and which, with his ever-ready solicitude, he 

 wanted us to see. We therefore saw every interesting 

 town on our route through Spain. In the evenings we 

 read together works on the history and art of the 



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