104 LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 



by the emotions and annoyances of university life. 

 Already in 1877, after political intrigues at the 

 University, he had felt the first symptoms of cardiac 

 trouble, which were the beginning of a long period of 

 ill-health. He consulted Bamberger, a great Viennese 

 physician, who, however, found nothing serious, and 

 merely forbade him the use of wine and tobacco, 

 to neither of which was he addicted. 



His health suffered further through the violent 

 anxiety which he went through in 1880 whilst I lay 

 dangerously ill with typhoid fever, contracted in 

 Naples. Though worn out with devoted nursing, he 

 tried to make up the time lost to research and over- 

 worked himself, with the result that cardiac trouble 

 was followed by fits of giddiness and unconquerable 

 insomnia. He fell into such a state of neurasthenia 

 that, in 1881, he resolved in a moment of depression 

 to do away with his life. 



In order to spare his family the sorrow of an obvious 

 suicide, he inoculated himself with relapsing fever, 

 choosing this disease in order to ascertain at the same 

 time whether it could be inoculated through the 

 blood. The answer was in the affirmative : he became 

 very seriously ill. His condition was aggravated by 

 anxiety concerning the University ; for he was suffi- 

 ciently conscious to be aware of the events which were 

 taking place in Russia. The murder of Alexander II. 

 caused him to foresee a political reaction of the most 

 terrible type ; already, a reactionary Rector had been 

 appointed. Metchnikoff developed intense jaundice 

 and had a serious relapse with alarming cardiac weak- 

 ness; during the crisis he had a very distinct prevision 

 of approaching death. This semi-conscious state 

 was accompanied by a feeling of great happiness ; 



