Dear "Mack,"

Your form of the 25^th inst. from Boston came duly to hand, and I was very glad to hear from you again. I was sorry, however, to hear that your heart had continued to give you some uneasiness. Yet you can hardly expect a tumbler of so chronic a character to yield immediately to any form of treatment. If I were in your place I would try "roughing it" in the woods with my gun and rod for the next two months, getting myself thoroughly fatigued every day. I believe this will do you more good than all the medicines in the W. L. Pharmacopoeia.

Here in N.Y. things continue about as dull as usual. Two of your patients have called on me since you left. Mrs. Whitfield of 4^th Ave., and, this morning, the servant of Mr. Wilcox on 60^th St. The latter said "Dr. McKisson" was his "family physician" but professed to be unmarried. Can you explain? I have also in charge patient of Dr. Parker and Janvin suffering from mensologia [sic] the result of a large fibroid. Janvin is off for a two weeks vacation, somewhere in Massachusetts, I believe.

Parker, Emmet & Thomas are out in a "Reply" to Dr. Lims' "Reply," which, I think, uses up pretty badly what Lims left himself in his own pamphlet. Lims made an ass of himself evidently in the first place, but if he had had the good sense to hold his tongue enlargement--ly[?] very few persons would have known anything about it.

I met Dr. Leith a few days ago and had quite a little chat with him. He was looking better than I ever saw him look before, and gave me to understand that he had quit drinking, and, to use his own phrase, "settled all his troubles." He has resumed practice and says he is doing reasonably well. I hope he told the truth. He might have enjoyed a very good practice but he only intimated his numerous opportunities.

We are having delightful weather now, cool enough to make the city perfectly comfortable. I do not expect to see my family out of the city formally if the children keep well. The expense of moving such a cavalcade is rather formidable for their Inth [sic] time.

"Fourth of July" passed off very quietly. There was no public parade nor display of fireworks, and even the enthusiastic "small fry" suffered from a short supply of the usual ammunition. An imminent scarcity of fire and accidents was the desirable result.

I am quite at loss now for a confidante in your departure. In fact I miss my usual visits to 55^th Street very much, and am still now strongly disposed to withdraw into my shell than even heretofore. Naturally I do not intend to infer more than people & I think the disposition has been rather a disadvantage to me through life. But the fact is there are so few people whom one can trust, that I prefer to attend quietly to my own business and give no attention to that of other people.

Write as often as you can, where you are, how you are, what you are doing &c. If I can do anything for you then do not hesitate to command my services.

Your friend,

Handerson

¹ Handerson was a fellow-student with Dr. Calvin Brooks McQuesten in medical school. For Handerson's letters, see W1370, W1373, W1449, W1453, W1490, W1541, W1553, W9021, W9024, W9027, W1474,