The forgotten youngest son of Albert Einstein: Thought it was a copy of his father, but the ending was tragic

Everyone knows who Albert Einstein is. After discovering relativity and the equation E = MC2, his famous status left an indelible mark on history.

Of course, the private life of the genius scientist is also a topic that many people are curious about. Dedicating his life to science, Einstein’s personal life is also full of dramas, scandals and turning points.

Referring to the hidden corners of Albert Einstein’s life, people never ignore his youngest son, Eduard Einstein. As the son of a genius mind, his life was a series of tragedies.

Illness following since birth

Eduard Einstein was born on July 28, 1910 in Zurich, Switzerland. He was the second son of physicist Albert Einstein with his first wife, Mileva Maric. Eduard also has an older brother, Hans Albert, 6 years older than him.

Albert and Mileva.

Some time later, the family moved to Berlin. However, the marriage of Albert and Mileva soon fell apart. They finalized the divorce proceedings in 1919. The divorce greatly affected the boys, especially Hans.

Mileva didn’t like Berlin, so she left Albert and took the children with her. She returned to settle in Zurich. Despite the long distance, Albert maintained correspondence with his children. He visits them as often as possible and even takes his two children on a trip.

For a long time, people speculated that Albert Einstein was a cold father. However, recently discovered letters show that he is always encouraging and interested in the lives of his two children.

Mrs. Mileva has always insisted that Albert chose science over family. However, the eldest son Hans later claimed Albert would “put aside work and watch over us for hours” when Mileva was “busy with housework”.

In his youth, Eduard was a sickly child. He was often sick and weak all the time. Therefore, he often skips family trips. Eduard’s condition seemed to put his father, Albert, in despair. In a letter to his colleagues, the scientist wrote: “The boy’s condition makes me extremely depressed. It is impossible for him to become a fully developed person.”

While his cold brain made Albert Einstein think about letting Eduard know about this life, his fatherly instinct prevailed. Albert vowed to prioritize the treatment of his son’s illness. He devoted himself to finding the best treatment for his son, going to the doctor many times with Eduard.

Talented mind but a shadow of his father

From an early age, Eduard showed promising signs of inheriting his father’s intelligence. He was gifted in many other arts such as music and poetry. However, he had a special relationship with Psychiatry and worshiped Sigmund Freud (Austrian neurologist and psychologist).

In 1929, Eduard got all A’s and was one of the best students in the school. He enrolled at the University of Zurich following in his father’s footsteps. There, Eduard studied to become a psychologist.

Eduard’s health still worries his family, especially Albert. He was both proud of his son’s achievements and abilities, but also afraid of his illness. But for a while, Eduard seemed to have a bright future like his father.

Being born into a broken family and being the son of Albert Einstein was not easy. For Hans and Eduard, the biggest challenge is living in their father’s shadow.

By the time Eduard was in college, Albert was famous all over the world. “Sometimes it’s hard to have such a famous dad because you feel like you don’t matter anymore,” Eduard once wrote.

At the age of 20, Eduard began to show signs of schizophrenia. That’s when he developed feelings for an elderly woman at university. Ironically, Albert also met Mileva like that.

Eduard’s love affair ended in disaster and this made his mental state worse. Eduard’s health declined and around 1930 he attempted suicide.

Last 30 years of life in a mental hospital

Eduard was officially diagnosed with schizophrenia and was first admitted to the Burghölzli Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland in 1932. Many believe that the harsh psychiatric treatments of the time only made Eduard’s condition worse. heavier. His brother Hans believes that the electroconvulsive therapy used to treat illness is to blame for Eduard’s speech and cognitive impairment.

After that, Eduard dropped out of school. Mrs. Mileva was at home taking care of her son by herself. Although Albert regularly sends money home, Ms. Mileva still struggles to take care of her children and the treatment costs are very high.

Eduard’s decline in health only made Albert Einstein more worried and this followed the scientist for the rest of his life. He felt himself responsible for Eduard’s illness. Albert believed that his son’s illness was inherited from his mother.

In a letter to friends, Albert expressed guilt and regret: “My sons are more delicate, the one who most resembles me has suffered from an incurable mental illness.”

During a mental breakdown, Eduard said he hated his father. With the rise of the Nazi government, Albert was pressured to leave the continent for America. Not long after that, Hans also followed his father.

For Eduard, immigration was not an option. It is reported that Albert repeatedly tried to bring his youngest son to America, however Eduard’s illness made this impossible. Before Albert left for America in 1933, he visited his son one last time. And since then, they never saw each other again.

For the rest of his life, Eduard and his father corresponded frequently. Eduard remained interested in music, even writing poetry to Albert. Eduard’s love of psychiatry remained unchanged. He hung a picture of Dr. Sigmund Freud in his bedroom.

Eduard was cared for by his mother until her death in 1948. Eduard then moved as an inpatient at the Burghölzli psychiatric clinic in Zurich, where he lived for the rest of his life.

Eduard died of a stroke in 1965 at the age of 55, outliving his father by 10 years. He was buried at the Hönggerberg cemetery in Zurich.