As an anxious person who deals with hypochondria and germaphobia I could relate to some of this (I have in the past also kept journals of my temperature taken several times per day, for example). That he was able to achieve what he did in spite of all of these mental health obstacles is all the more amazing.

> “you simply cannot […] find the concentration necessary for research if you read twice a day [about] things […] which touch the basis of the civilization of your country as well as your personal existence”.

Kind of feels like the recent couple of years in the US. Only we don't just get news twice a day, we're constantly inundated with it. The same advice is given now, only it includes not just avoiding the news but also social media - in my experience it's pretty essential advice.