ST. LÉGER-EN-YVELINES, _24th June 1916_. When saying that I did not fear death, I had in view the dread of annihilation. That fear, manifested during a long period of life and disappearing towards the end, may be compared with the fear of darkness which children instinctively feel and which also disappears gradually and naturally. When, towards the end of life, the fear of nothingness ceases, no desire remains for a future life, for the immortality of the soul. It would even be painful to me to think that the soul, surviving the body, could watch, from beyond, the misfortunes of those who remain on the earth. On the contrary, towards life's decline, a desire for complete annihilation becomes developed. He spent the autumn collecting and preparing the materials he required for his book on the sexual function. It was a relief from the sad impressions of the war and the deserted laboratory. But new troubles were in store for us; I became ill, and had scarcely recovered when we heard the news of the death of a nephew who was very dear to us. The death of the young had always deeply moved Metchnikoff, and it was so in this case. It was another weight thrown into the already descending scale. In spite of all, he continued to work with enthusiasm, planting young trees that future generations might enjoy their shade. CHAPTER XXXVI Bronchial cold--Aggravated cardiac symptoms--Farewell to Sèvres --Return to the Institute--Protracted sufferings--Intellectual preoccupations--Observations on his own condition--The end-- Cremation. If in this sad last chapter I occasionally dwell on details which may seem insignificant in themselves, it is because, at this supreme moment of Elie Metchnikoff's existence, everything was full of significance, for everything converged to emphasise the powerful unity and the ascending and continuous progress of his ideas. His attitude in the face of illness and death was a teaching, a support, and an example. That is why, relating the story of his last days, I piously describe everything. Towards the end of November, he caught a slight cold, which did not prevent him from leading his usual life, but which, nevertheless, was the starting-point of the illness which took him from us. On the 2nd of December, during a walk, he suddenly felt a cardiac commotion such that he thought he was dying. For hours, his pulse remained intermittent and very rapid, and from that day he felt unwell but continued to go to the laboratory. On the 9th of December his condition became worse and forced him to interrupt his normal life. All the doctors were away or very busy on account of the war, and it was only on the 11th that Dr. Renon could give him a consultation at the Laënnec Hospital. He found Metchnikoff's heart very tired and nervous, prescribed a treatment, and told us to come back in twenty-five days.