LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 45 



cost; I am tappy, too, to be able to assure you in all conscience 

 that I am not wasting the money that you have foimd for me 

 with so much care and affection. I only wish I could find 

 myself oftener in the same conditions. 



Please also believe that my health is in no way suffering 

 from my work. I give you my word that until now I have not 

 had a single headache. 



Moreover, I do not think work is at all detrimental to 

 health ; I see here several German scientists who could fell 

 an ox with their fist ! Altogether I beseech you not to be 

 anxious on my account ; you have quite enough painful pre- 

 occupations without that, and I am in such excellent circum- 

 stances that there really is nothing to worry about. I kiss 

 your hands many times. 



Yours affectionately, 



Elie Metchnikoff. 



P.S. — ^Write to me oftener. Every word from you is so 

 precious to me ! 



He did not tell liis mother that he never had 

 enough to eat. Neither did he wish Cohn and his 

 other acquaintances at Heligoland to. notice it, and 

 he carefully concealed his style of living. 



He went to Giessen for the opening of the Natural- 

 ists' Congress and read with success two papers 

 dealing with his researches at Heligoland. Engel- 

 mann (who was to become well known as a physio- 

 logist) and he were the youngest members of the 

 Congress, and their extreme youth attracted general 

 attention. Elie at last made Leuckart's acquaint- 

 ance ; he was charmed by him and definitely decided 

 to begin at once to work under his direction, and, as 

 his stay abroad had thus to be prolonged, he asked 

 and obtained a bursa from the Russian Ministry of 

 Public Education. 



The results of his researches at Heligoland had 



