Correspondence, 1927. January-April

Communication No 105

DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY PEKING UNION MEDICAL COLLEGE PEKING, CHINA.

Sunday Jan 30 1972

Dearest mater mine, Another week has flown and spring is in the feel of the cold sunlight once more - I can always feel the spring tingling about the end of Jan - Periodicity of endocrinous action I suppose but it feels as if it were the smell of the air! Your dear and welcome letter of Dec 31 st reached me last Wednesday Jan 26 which was not bad speed though not record breaking either. There was a deluge of American mail that day with not a few bright spots such for instance as a letter from Graeme and one from his old man bless their hearts. We should have liked to take a squint in at that rowdy party of 17 at Aunt Graces - such a lot offambly it would be nice to see! Your Christmas celebration in bed sounds a bit uffish but nae doot useful and resting. I hope by next Christmas you can start in at Strath Spey and the Reel o Turroch of Tulloch if you prefer - and do that same with your own wee granddaughter perhaps! She celebrated today by a real reel walk all her own right across the room!! Last Sunday as I noted in my last she took three steps on her own initiative - today shes off on her own hind legs - and they are shapely I may remark. The only feminine thing about her actions is the way she purses up her little mouth like a coral button - in other ways shes pure roughouse personified albeit with certain feminine coynesses. My last Sundays snapshots were highly unsuccessful and I enclose the only one which particulars are evident - too dark for snaps that day. Davy whose convalescent smile is there depicted is getting on in fine shape - no coughing for two days and he has been out for two rickshaw rides and has a fine appetite again. We had a very sad happening towards the end of last week when Bobby Lims wee 15 month old daughter went out with measles and pneumonia. She was a particularly bright kid and it rather broke Bobby up. The funeral was on Saturday out to the British cemetry outside the west wall of the city. Bobby is a British

subject though he is Chinese - being born in the FMS and educated in Edinburgh. Hes one of the best. I got back from the funeral in time for a committee at Houghtons on the Chou Kou Tien research -Wong Wen Hao, J.G. Andersson, Heine and myself. We decided to wire to Bohlin and I have sent off the telegram so I expect him here within a month to take charge of the actual excavations, the whole research being a cooperative undertaking with the Geol Survey under my general direction - and me getting any of the ancient human material that may emerge. So the first actual spending of my grant has begun. We hope to be able to go out to the site and decide on the general plan of excavations and rent the property etc this week or next at the latest. Last week also saw the last formal interchange of letters between Sven Hedin and myself over our cooperation with his expedition and I am optimistic of the resulta that may develop particularly in the opportunity it will afford Stevenson to spread himself in a publication which under Hedins editorship will be able to afford the luxuries of fine illustration, and the extensive use of tables. I wish I also had a photo of Uncle Ferg with his Alfred David on it - Im going to write Mary and ask for one and enclose an official one of me in the lab. She was a dear and sent us one of herself taken in the Library at her desk - but she didnt sign it or date it!! I wrote Ha as I said I would and suggested that he and Harry try some more experiments on you dear - dont you go for to think you are in for this rheumatikiz for keeps - not by no means you aint! So if they stick a needle in you or give you different pills to swallow just go to it and help nature with the conviction of eventual victory and subsequent perfect health wealth and happieness - see guy?! Read mark learn and inwardly digest that sermon exhortation of mine to the of last years date!! Gay writes an excellent letter and his dads advice as to the kind to write fitted the bill exactly bless his heart. I shall write him in turn anon. Adena and I went to see Doug Fairbanks in the BlackPirate last night at the Chen Kuan - great stuff it was and not a dull moment. We wondered how many real pirates there were in the audience taking lessons! Heres coffee - have some? The weeks news id meagre and mottly except for some progress in the work line and in scheming. An awfully nice letter from ABMacallum came to - hes a bra lad and good friend. Good night dear. Heaps of love from us Four. Bestestto GG&kidsASAGUJex39itesBeaStCsetalBBSOCYKYAS

Communication No 108

DEPARTMENT OF ANATOMY PEKING UNION MEDICAL COLELGE PEKING, CHINA.

Sunday Feb 20th 1927

Dearest mater mine, Another week has flown and Spring indeed is with us - I smelt it a month ago but the real thing is here. Mud and the winters garbage and refuse gradually uncovering its delicate petals in the life giving north-moving sun - all the secrets of many a frugal houskeepers winters work coming to light and lending its delicate exhalations to the air. Kites flying and troops moving - all true harbingers of the warm weather - even a house fly in the dining room today! The above mentioned winters refuse is of course in the streets where all and sundry leave what they have no more use for and where the industrious beggar group as opposed to the real variety who scorn work are busy picking over the dumps. Spring's here! Quite a sonnet when you come to look it over, no? The week was ushered in with a wire from Bohlin saying he was content with the terms of my offer and would leave with his wife on March 2nd. That should get them here by the third week in March via Siberia and so by the end of March we should have the Chou Kou Tien excavations really started - I hope so. I had word from Wong wen Hao that Ting was expecting to get to Peking about the 25th of this month - no idee as to how long he would stay or where he was headed for eventually - but when he comes we should get that dope. He has been specially marked for the firing squad by the Cantonese if they can lay their hands on him - or he may get his with a knife in some of his goings and comings. Hes one of the best men China has ever produced in any age and its an excellent indication of the times when hes marked for slaughter just because he has made a good job where others would have left chaos. But theres many a man has died of old age with a price on his head and so theres hope Ting may be one of that group. If he can still speak for the China Foundation (USBoxerIndemnity Commission) we may get the Institute under way this year - all we