The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-22

as to he invisible to the NAKED eys-and it
fest,;ed and killed him.
He went to answer the las. roll call with
the same calm tiemeanor that had marked
him on fhe field of battle. on board ship in
the Mexican War and as hospital surgeon
during the Civil War. TEmcved ard M
disturbed. he watched the progress of the
fatal disorder announced that the en- was
{. r.lii.s ard lay down g! his chamber. nm
disrl;ayeG ty the appearance Of the dread
visitor Three weeks Of Illness distorted
the functions or his body, but left his mind
un!ni paired.
Less than a month ago the doctor was
walking in the garden Of the soili old
homestead in burlington. He plucke1 a
rose. lts thorn pI'uctUr-d the first fiHger on
his right hand, The wound was trifliEr and
almost .rnor!Cet- IN few GaYs two
patients came To him for surgical treat
ment germ from tho surgical wound
came In contact with the puncIured iineer
and the poison entered. His finger swslei
His son. also = doctor. ianced It: then the
swelling extended To the arm. and the brave
old man. avrrse to causing anxiety to his
family. came TO Il PhilddelphId hospital.
whsr- the arm and hand Were asain danced.
He Appeared TO inpr7 ". but the appear
ance was faliaCious. The poison did. IL Is
said. leave his arm. but II left IL only to
be ts0rbed int. his system. where II be
came general and increased until II cul-
minated IN death.
From thu moment when he felt the first
symptom, the little sting AT his finger end.
Doctor 'iauutt seemed to concentrate his
thous = ON what others would have con
bafhed n. using those antiseptic solutions
made familiar To him In his practice IL.
examined Il through microscope. thought
fully. carefully. closely, hut not anxiously.
As little by it'll. the Unframed cir:umfeI-
enc- increased. he changed the solutions.
varying then; as the situation made need
fui- There NI= something about II that
held the old iociur's attsHtiUn-uot that h.
thought 81 it constantly. 70. he did NOT.
Patients came ever. he listened tn their
symptoms. he prescribed their remedies.
they recpI"red-aS Of !ore.
But while h" was still curing others the
menace To hi own life grew stronger.
Ia TIE joint. Ever remedy he had tried
In vain. But he faced it rriniy fighting
Il for every hairs breadth pf its advance.
docking 1t now tor a moment. now FOR an
hour. only 10 find il break from beneath
the restraint of his lotions and poJiuns, to
slowly eat its way onward
IL was ii curious circumstance that in
the history eff Doctor fisun-ts family every
tendency was warlike. and yet the family
England. then riotins with religious In
tolerance and fed TO Massachusetts. where
the Puritans had found religious tolerance
for themselves. but denied il 20 every one
else. Ai.v'Ii that time there was burning
for Wiichctaft in New England and fight
ing. win Indians ana oil the excitement
Incident to pioneer life.
Amid this chaos Of anxiety and terror
only the StpUte-f of heart and limb sur
yived. Doctor Gauntts ancestors went 10
New jersey. where the Indians We're not
always peaceable and where even Quakers
were not always submissive
Whatever of courage was nat insiiiied in
the ia m!ly by the aggressiuns of the abDr
IgincS WAS later acquired in wars with the
Dutch French and English In these the
nerve. Drawn and bravery of -he residents
were developed. and Ia these molds their
descendants were cast.
Doctor GHuntt served as a surgeon on a
sloop of war during the difficulty with
Mexico ~ lsI5-i6 His first war career over.
he came to Philadelphia. finished his med
icai studies. received :. degree from the
University Of Pennsylvania In 1871 and
went to Burlington To practice. The young
doctor worked and kept In advance of tho
scientific knowledge OF his day. He became
of III, -ase by the dissemination OF germs.
Only To Toe laughed at and accounted fool,
or even suspected OF insanity.
The germ theory prevailed. Its originator
had the satisfac tiuD later OF seeing i, gem
orally accepted. Meantime his success as
a practitioner increased. He was not a mere
practitioner. He was Interested in politics.
improvement OF the town. the adoption Of
inventions.
In the Civil War Doctor Gauntt after
some duty in the field. gwen charge Of
the general hospital ar beverly, y. J.
sue was the satisfaction OF the patients
at Beverly Hospital with his work that as
the var WAS closing Doctor ,iaunit was
pres, ntei by them with handsome sword.
Doctor Gaunt;, who served as Lieutenant;
Colonel and surgeon ON the staff of for
mer Governor S.~eIl Of New jersey. ard
when he died was brigade surgeon of the
Second Brigade of the National Guard a.
New Jersey. proudly wore this sword on
all formal military occasions In his latter
lifetime. His connection with the National!
Guard had been continuous for forty years.