ENGELS TO MARX” 

Manchester, 10 February 1866 

Dear Moor, 

I have just spoken to Gumpert here and discussed your 
condition with him. He is firmly of the opinion you should try 
arsenic. He has used it in one case of carbuncles and one of very 
virulent furunculosis, and achieved a complete cure in approx. 3 
months. He is now giving it to three ladies, so far with the greatest 
of success; they are positively thriving on it. Fow ers sotution 1S 
what he is giving, I believe it is 3 drops 3 umes a day (I am not 
quite so sure about that any more), but altogether the patient takes 
about 1 grain of arsenic a day. In view of the specific effect that 
arsenic has with all skin diseases, there is every prospect of it being 
effective with you, too. He thinks iron would only have a 
symptomatic and hence strengthening effect. And with arsenic 
there is no special diet to be observed at all, just living well. 

You really must at last do something sensible now to shake off 
this carbuncle nonsense, even if the book‘ is delayed by another 3 

a Wilhelm Liebknecht - » The letter bears the stamp: Albert Club / Manchester. - 
© Capital 

months. The thing is really becoming far too serious, and if, as 
you say yourself, your brain is not up To THE Mark for the theoretical 
part, then do give it a bit of a rest from the more elevated theory. 
Give over working at night for a while and lead a rather more 
regular life. When you are yourself again, come up here for a 
fortnight or so, so that you have a bit of a change, and bring 
enough papers along with you for you to be able to do a spot of 
work here—if you like. Incidentally, the 60 sheets will make 2 
thick volumes.?*? Can you not so arrange things that the first 
volume at least is sent for printing first and the second one a few 
months later? This would keep both publisher? and public happy 
and yet no time will have been lost realiter” 

You must also bear in mind that as things stand now, the 
situation on the Continent may change rapidly. In Prussia things 
are moving with marvellous rapidity. Bismarck is pressing hard for 
a crisis. First the decision by the Supreme Tribunal,” and then 
now the threat of an authentic interpretation of the constitution by 
the King.‘ The philistines’ last illusion about peaceful historical 
development has gone to the devil. The first plausible pretext, 
perhaps no more than a serious complication over Schleswig- 
Holstein even, may be the spark that sets it off, once the troops 
are concentrated on the frontier; although I myself hardly believe 
that anything will happen without a more general cause, but the 
possibility is there. What would be gained in these circumstances 
by having perhaps a few chapters at the end of your book 
completed, and not even the first volume can be printed, if events 
take us by surprise? Something may happen any day in France, 
too, in Austria the attempted reconciliation with Hungary can only 
lead to sharper division.?” 

Q.E.D.: get yourself back on your feet and ad hoc‘ give the 
arsenic a try. 

Your 
EE. 
Kind regards to Madame‘ and the younc apis.