THE FINAL DECADE 477month Miehele Besso died, another trusted friend from his student days, later his
colleague at the patent office, and his sounding board in the days of special rela-
tivity. In a letter to the Besso family, Einstein wrote, 'Now he has gone a little
ahead of me in departing from this curious world' [El3].
On April 11 he lent for the last time his name to a pacifist manifesto—this one
drawn up by Bertrand Russell—in which all nations are urged to renounce
nuclear weapons [N4].
On the morning of Wednesday, April 13, the Israeli consul called on Einstein
at his home in order to discuss the draft of a statement Einstein intended to make
on television and radio on the occasion of the forthcoming anniversary of Israel's
independence. The incomplete draft [N5] ends as follows. 'No statesman in a
position of responsibility has dared to take the only promising course [toward a
stable peace] of supranational security, since this would surely mean his political
death. For the political passions, aroused everywhere, demand their victims.'
These may well be the last phrases Einstein committed to paper.
That afternoon Einstein collapsed at home. The aneurysm had ruptured. Guy
K. Dean, his personal physician, was called immediately. That evening, two med-
ical friends of Einstein's were called to Princeton from New York: Rudolf Ehr-
mann, who had been his physician in Berlin, and Gustav Bucky, a radiologist. On
Thursday Frank Glenn, a cardiac and aortic surgeon from New York Hospital,
was also called in for consultation. After the doctors had deliberated, Einstein
asked Dr Dean if it would be a horrible death. Perhaps, one does not know, he
was told. Perhaps it will be minutes, perhaps hours, perhaps days [D3]. 'He was
very stoical under pain,' Dr Dean said a few days later [D4]. During this period,
Einstein often resisted being given morphine injections and firmly refused all sug-
gestions for an operation. 'I want to go when / want. It is tasteless to prolong life
artificially; I have done my share, it is time to go. I will do it elegantly' [D2]. On
Friday he was moved to Princeton Hospital. That evening a call was made to his
son Hans Albert in Berkeley, who immediately left for Princeton and arrived on
Saturday afternoon. 'On Saturday and Sunday, I was together quite a lot with my
father, who much enjoyed my company' [El4]. On Saturday Einstein called the
house to ask for his glasses. On Sunday he called for writing material [D3]. That
evening he appeared to be resting comfortably.
Alberta Rozsel, a night nurse at the hospital, was the last person to see Einstein
alive. At 1:10 a.m. on April 18, 'Mrs Rozsel noted that he was breathing differ-
ently. She summoned another nurse, who helped her roll up the head of the bed.
Right after the other nurse left, Dr. Einstein mumbled in German. Then, as Mrs
Rozsel put it, "he gave two deep breaths and expired'" [D4]. It was 1:15 in the
morning.
The news was made public at 8 a.m. The autopsy performed that morning*
*By Dr Thomas F. Harvey, who removed the brain, part of which now rests in a bottle somewhere
in Weston, Missouri [Wl].