My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

asked him what part he played in Macbeth. Proudly he answered,
"I am a knight." Lu and I wondered whether we would recognize
that knight among all the other fighters. But we did discover him.
A huge beard was plastered on his rosy cheeks; heavy, high boots
covered his legs; and in his hands he held something like a
weapon. It was not only fun to see him, it was interesting to observe
the intelligent way the English schoolmaster had produced
his Shakespeare with these young actors, and it was really enjoyable
to hear their excellent pronunciation.
We saw Chris afterwards-still in beard and boots-and we arranged
for him to drive home with us the next morning. When we
met Chris the next morning, he was still in his high boots. He
could not get them off, so he had to sleep with them and wait for
his father to help him.
In later years I often wondered why Lu did not talk about serious
problems with Chris. I once asked him, and he said, "I am not
going to influence him. As soon as he is ready, he will start asking
questions."
In 1954, Wabash College, with the help of the Volker Fund,
arranged the Conference on Economics and Freedom. Lu shared
the platform with Professor Friedrich August Lutz of Zurich and
Professor George William Keeton of London University. Lu's subject
was "The Market and the Role of Saving." We made the
870-mile trip to French Lick, Indiana, by car, and on June 15 Lu
gave his first lecture.
I remember this summer so well because the second day after
our arrival in Indiana Lu got seriously ill. I had to call the doctor at
night. He had to give Lu morphine to ease his pain. But the following
day Lu continued his lecture, and again he had a very serious
attack, caused, as we then knew, by the gall bladder. Fred Nymeyer,
who had heard of Lu's illness, flew in from Chicago, ready
to help if necessary. Every day Lu delivered his lecturein spite of
pain and medication, and he had to go to bed immediately afterwards.
It was a terrible ordeal for him, and the drive back to New
York was an ordeal for me. Back in New York, it took time and
many medical consultations before Lu was admitted to the Harkness
Pavilion to be operated on.
His surgeon, Dr. David Habif, proved to be not only a first-class
surgeon, but also a good psychologist and a warm, feeling human
being. Nowadays people talk so much about the changed relationship
between physicians and patients, with doctors coming more
and more under attack. It is not my task to defend them, but I have
to say that Dr. Habif earned IllY greatest admiration, which was
shared by Lu after he recovered.
Lu was never a good patient. A hospital meant confinement, and
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