[London,] 10 December 1868 

Dear Frep, 

You must return the enclosed letter to me immediately after 
reading it, since I must send it back to Kugelmann.””” 

Kugelmann (there is nothing else worthy of notice in his letter, 
which I am not sending, as I wish to reply to him) has this to say 
about Dr Freund, the ‘author’ of the letter: 

‘Recently, in Dresden, I recruited a promising pupil for you in the shape of a 
very intelligent colleague, a university teacher in Breslau. He told me he had 
written a small study on the worker question. I recommended him to read your 
book* before publishing his study. His own reflections had led him to Malthusian 
ideas.— I would like to have the enclosed letter returned quite soon, since I still have 
to reply to it.—Freund is now engaged in an epoch-making workdealing with the 
development of the normal and pathological pelvis, in particular, and of the 
skeleton, in general. In Dresden he gave a lecture on this that created a sensation. 
The professors and privy councillors received his brilliant discoveries with a 
dignified air of superiority, which vexed me. At the close of our section meeting I 
said a few words in order to emphasise Freund’s achievements in a complimentary 
manner and I asked those who agreed with me to rise. The entire section rose, 
but—they were perfidious enough to omit this ovation from the minutes of the 
meeting. When I wanted to insist on its inclusion, Freund intervened himself and 
said he did not wish it. I believe he now regrets this. This is to make his letter 
understandable. When his work appears, Engels will, in any case, have to plough 
through it’. 

(It appears you have to plough through everything.) 

Your 
K. M.