Letter to Władysław Tatarkiewicz written 24.06.1966

Dear Władysław,

                       with your name day approaching, I’m sending you most sincere wishes for health and success of all kinds, and at the same time joining in the celebration of your 80th birthday at the Library of Classics of Philosophy. Unfortunately, due to the poor condition of my health, I won’t be able to come and take part in this celebration in person, so I have to content myself with this letter.

            The reason is the continuing and constant pain in my left knee and a slight temperature, which has lasted about two months now. The doctors, as usual, don’t really know what it is: so-called ‘rheumatism’, but nobody knows what that actually is. Formerly, people spoke of rheumatism and arthritis (gicht [German: gout]) as being completely different; now, apparently, they don’t differentiate one from the other, declaring that in any case nobody knows the reason for it. The measures applied to this point haven’t helped at all so far, but at least it’s no worse. However, it’s bad enough that I can’t walk, something that substantially limits my style of life. I stayed in bed for two weeks, but that didn’t bring any improvement either; therefore now I’m sitting instead and trying to work a bit, because time is flying.

            I assume that you spent your holiday well, and that now you’ll be in Warsaw for some time, although it’s probably stifling there now. In Cracow, terrible heat waves, lately a few days of rain, now hot again. In a couple of days we’re supposed to go to Rabka (Stasin, the Jagiellonian University House). I saw Aleksandrowicz today, and he doesn’t forbid that, but today assorted blood samples were taken for analysis; perhaps something new will show up.

                                   Cordial greetings and best regards to your wife

24/6/66.                                  Your Roman

I expect you’ve received my book.