The sun., 1895-05-09

DR.. Byron was born Mt Lima Peru. on July
pa. 1861. He studied medicine at Lima, and
got his degree there when still q very young
man. He practised in small way in his native
town for a time. but his friends speedily saw
that he had in him the making Of an eminent
medical man, and every inducement was Of
fercd him for study and travel. He went from
one end of Europe to the other. studying and
practising. and when he returned to his native
place again he brought back as evidence OF the
progress he had made a dozen or more certf-
Gates which had been awarded TO him in differ
ent countries.
From the first DIR. Byron made bacteriology
his specially. At the university in Lima he
evnced such an interest In the study that he
was advised to make a specially Of it. and while
travelling in Europe he never lost an opportu-
When he returned to Peru yellow fever was
raging there. and he lost no time in plunging
every opportunity TO study the disease. and his
work attracted so much attention that he was
From Ima he to to the
malarial fevers OF Cuba, and scarcely n month
broke out there Several physicians who had
had experience with the disease took charge in
the he : stricken natives. but the epidemic kept
spreading and finally got uncontrolla able. In
an entirely unofficial way. DR.. Byron had been
working among the stricken people He went
to the most infected districts and took charge
of the very worst cases that he could find. He
was then only twenty four, years OF age. but the
local officials. recognizing his ability. superseded
al the older physicians and put him IN charge
been erected. He was cautioned repeatedly
against the reckless fashion in which he visited
parts Of the city where the scourge was at its
suit being that he was finally taken down with
tho disease himself. Instead OF worrying over
this he gloried in IT. saying that it gave him
better opportunity to study the disease than he
had ever had before. He was treated according
Ia; AVID
When the plague finally left Havana Or.
Byron went back to Lima and continued his
| Cuba. in 1854, DIR. Byron lost no time in getting
back to Havana again. This was rare oppor-
study the T He Showed
! the same fearlessness OF contagion that he had
during the yei!ow fever epdsIhnGs m and @ THIS y,
| Europe again his knowledge OF cholera was
recognzed by the leading medical pan;l men Of
and pursuing original investigation ut the hos
% and German during this period and made many
warm friends among the famous physicians OF
| to Lima and settled down there 10 practice. A
| life OF ordinary medical practise, however.
preceded him; and the post Of chief of tbs
6aeterioiogcs H,r Of the Lomi'
| and also became lecturer in that branch
OF medicine in the University MEDICAL College.
Dispensary ut 1877 Centre street, and for three
| years he devoted three hours of his time each
Piled for treatment He treated aboul 100 Itsl-
| ians day. The salaries from his different posts
in comfort. but they aggregated nothing like the
amount that he could have made by private
practice. ,
| advance in two subjects. He studied with in
| teresting results the forms OF the micro-organ-
isms which produce malaral feyers, and he
| made yaua BILE discoveries about the bacteria OF
leprosy. Leprosy has not long been known as q
~ vestigat IONS in various parts OF the world which
! have enlarged the knowledge OF medical men
| of his operations he produced cultures f 4f
| Of !cprosy In his possession he produced leprOsy
which the bacilli act tie same as they do on he
| human svstcm Dr. Byron also made extensive
] wrote any ny BOOKS on the subject OF bacterloiogi.
| cal diseases. lie wrote many papers on the sub
! ject and lectured on 1t frequently before medi-
cal H men Hen o,o,.ro rsochsd Now York in ssnt.m.
disense was quaiantned and mako as extensive
study Of u as possible M Il was sd 700 @ G3od an Gip
10 the managers OF the New York Dispensary for
leave Of absence resulted In its agreeing 70 lot
burne Island; and for over a month lived there
with the cholera patients, studying the disease
On his return lie once more took charge of the
Loomis Laboratory, and II was while expert
| mcnting there with tubercle bacilli that he
| contracted consumption. He discovered his
| cond ition on March IL, 1894, when he had been
| infected a month. DIR. Byron never recovered
| from his work on Swinburno Island. and when
| he knew that he was stricken with consumption
| he said that he was afraid that familiarity with
dangerous bacteria had made him careless.
Some of the bacteria, he said, must have become
liberated in the atmosphere Ordinarily they
are left in glass tubes or bottles, ana SO long as
| they are wet are not dangerous.
Both, of Pr. Byrons lungs were badly affect
ed, and, although not greatly cast down by his
didn't believe he had long to live When taken
i'll DIR. Byron weighed 100 pounds: In few
months he weighed only 100 pounds. His i'll
ness forced DIR. Byron 10 give up great deal OF
his work. but he stuck to the laboratory and
| continued his experiments until July last when
he went abroad. He returned slightly improved.
| but has been sinking ever since.
| For some time lately he had been helping ex-
| Health Officer Jenkins 10 open q hospital for
| contagious diseases at Fort Wordsworth. Staten
| Island of which he was TO have entire charge. He
| furnished houseat Fort Wordsworth and gave
| up his apartments ut 223 East Fifteenth street,