James South to Faraday   2 December 1846

Obsy. Kensington, | Wedy Night Dec 2, 46

My dear Faraday,

I am very much grieved to find from your kind Letter which I received last night, that you are again teased with a misbehaving knee. I was in hopes that Brodie had effectually secured you against any recurrence of such a Calamity - most sincerely do I hope that the means he is now pursuing may soon produce a radical cure of the diseased part so that you may soon resume your accustom[e]d activity & exercise, the latter of which I believe is very essential to your general health.

As I cannot do it orally I must content myself in making my pen in my left hand congratulate you on having two fresh public proofs of the great importance of your recent discoveries. God grant, great as they are, that you may still add to their number & honor - you, in the annals of the Royal Society, stand, the solitary instance of 2 of its medals being on the same day presented to the same individual¹[.] May the almighty Giver of those talents which have enabled you to earn these honors grant you health and happiness, long to wear them!

Now let me thank you very much for your solicitude about myself - thank God my health is & has been for some time very good - about 6 or 7 weeks ago (as I think you know) I had an attack of pneumonia Notha² in consequence of exposure to wet in determining the site for my intended observatory, near the Watford Tunnel, in which I propose making my experiments on the propagation of railway tremors as affecting astronomical observations made from the surface of Mercury - that attack however soon gave way to local bleeding &c - and I had again indulged in my favorite amusement of shooting - and being so occupied on this day fortnight a thorn passed through the nail of the forefinger of my right hand leaving in the nail a circular hole (as if it had been punched out) of about a tenth of an inch diameter - it then entered the finger & laid palallel [sic] with the finger nail but about the 8th of an inch below it. The pain was instantly most intense. With a Lancet I cut down upon the thorn, and grasping it with a pair of Forceps removed it. it was about 1/2 an inch long about the 1/16th of an inch or a little more at its largest extremity and was a well defined point at the other. Five minutes certainly did not elapse between the thorn's entrance and its removal - yet in this time the first joint of the finger became half as large again as before the Accident - this latter happened about 1 o'Clock P.M. and I continued shooting till dark without inconvenience got 18 shots Killed 14 Cock pheasants, one hen pheasant - and 2 partridges - missing only 1 shot.

On my return home to dinner the point of the finger became somewhat painful on which I poulticed it as I have since done to the present time - the inflammation gradually increased but did not prevent me going down to Watford Tunnel on Friday last.

On Saturday I put my finger under the Care of Mr. South³ who immediately cut down upon the offending part but without giving me the relief he had anticipated. In the afternoon I went down to Ramsgate to see a sick friend & returned to town on Monday to see Mr South - other cuttings were necessary - these made towards having the pain become less - and altho I got but a bad night it gave me more sleep than I had had for six previous days & nights.

The finger is certainly somewhat less painful than it has been but I fear will not make much more progress without further cut of the knife. It is somewhat curious that yesterday week in the morning for some minutes my jaws were not separable - on Thursday the same but not for so long a period - on Saturday the return was but just sensible and this afternoon it remained about a minute - & in all instances without my thinking of it in the least. When I can I will call on you - Kindest regards to Mrs. F.

Yours affectionately | J. South