The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-27
JAPANESEPATH0L0GIST
DIR. KITAsATO. JAPAN's MOST EN-
NENT MEDICAL SCIENTIST.
DIR. F~oxwcrthy Visits Him and Writes
posal by the


AOh4O, japan, June IL Equipped WITH
letters from mutual friends. I climbed into
a jinriksha 10 make my rrst call on the
celebrated discoverer Of the plague bacillus.
Upon arriving at the Municipal Hospital I
inquired of the chief clerk OF the where
abouts of DR.. Kitasato. To my astonish-
ment he replied that he knew OF no such
physician in Toxic. He then consulted a
city directory with no better result. Such
dense ignorance about so well known a ply
stefan recalled 10 my mind 2 certain quota
ton i'm the Good Book concerning the lack
OF honor TO a prophet in his own country.
However, the American ambassador, Col.
Buck, later supplied me with the address I
wanted. Making a second start / soon ar
rived at No. 5 shiba Park and found the
doctor at home in his coy little compound
in the suburbs OF the city. lie spoke Ger
man fiuently, but as yet mas not learned
English. A short, sturdy man. wearing
American costume. he looks TO be I'm his
prime, probably a little pas; forty years
old. Eyeglasses. a struggling moastache
and an Egyptian c,sarette were tAe other
adornments Of his countenance. 1 told him
Of the interest the American surgeons in
Manila took In his work on the plague
bacillus, and he seemed much pleased and
kindly offered to show me his experimental
stations and hospitals. Starting around the
stations l was amazed at the wonderful
confidence the japanese government has in
this little doctor. providing him with scores
of buildings. herds of animals. whole farms
and thousands of dollars to carry on his
work.
At station No. l was a large laboratory
for the preparation of culture media. All
known media are kept on hand, and here
the various cultures are kept and grown.
In an annex is an anlphitheater which seats
500. and a large room with many sSylights.
where / found seventy physicians doing
postgraduate work under his instruction.
The course is three months in duration and
Is entirely IN bacteriology. All present that
each one could speak from two TO four
OTHER STATIONS.
a t station No. 2. in the next yard. was
his hospital for infectious diseases. Here
are received persons suffering from typhoid
and scarlet ~fevers. pneumonia, diphtheria.
tetanus and dysentery. Serum therapy is
the chief basis of treatment. l was in
terested In a couple OF cases OF dysentery
of the chronic form which had yielded
quickly TO his antitoxin serum for that
bacillus. There are no cases. OF plague in
Japan proper at present, hence he hasn't
the advantage OF studying plag.e patients
at home. But Formosa has had several
thousand cases this year. and TO that island
he is sending weekly large quantities OF
serum.
At Station No. 3. in another part of the
city, are a number of large brick buildings.
where the anti-toxic Serums are prepared
on a scale, and here also are the
refrigerators for preserving the same. DR..
Hada, his chief assistant, Is IN charge OF
this station. He Is a bright little jap. with
a good knowledge OF English. who Il now
doing only plague work. he is turning out
one hundred bottles of forty cubic cent?
meters each per day of the preventive
serum. Vaccinated with IL he THINKS "A per-
son would be immune for six months. and
IL two vaccinations are undergone the i'm
mnue period increases by a swift system OF
progression. The vaccine lymph is a turbid
whitish fluid which precipitates a small
quantity OF sediment. The curative serum
is prepared much slower and in smaller
quantities. One hundred bottles OF forty
cubic can be produced I'm one
month. II Is the same yellow looking, or,
rather, straw-colored serum as all anti
toxic serums. His machinery for this work
10 ample; one centrifuge holding fifteen gall
hons.
Though DR.. KItasato IL known more from
his plague researches, yet his pet work IL
his tuberculosis hospital. Situated or the
outskirts Of the city, IL was the fourth
station visited. Hundreds OF patients are
treated here each month. and all varieties
OF treatment have been used. His own
preparation of tuberculin. on which ne has
been at work for two years, mas not been
as successful os expected. But that does
not discourage him.. and he has strong
tuberculosis 1T the present time the most
benefit comes from the oxygen treatment
combined with tudicious life In the open air.
II LIVESTOCK FARM.
The last place visited was the farm. and
here was a livestock farm large enough TO
suit the most fastidious stock owner. Com
mencing with the smallest-the guinea piss
there were hundreds of the smooth, sleek
American variety. as well as the ruGied-up
Japanese kind. Rabbits came next. and
then the sheep ana the goats. But the in
terest in the place 10 me was IN he long
stables labeled Plague Horses" Typhoid
Horses" etc. / counted sixty-seven fire.
large mares in one Of the plague stables.
and every three weeks each one OF these
noble animals gives up 2.5D CUBIC cent?
meters Of her life's blood In order 10 save
some plague-stricken community from de-
struction. Their care IS OF the best and
they frolic and gamboi as II they enjoyed
life as much as a horse can. The diphtheria
drove is even larger, while typhoid, pneu-
fnonia and dysentery nave cach n small
drove TO its credit. i watched the veteri-
nary surgeon give a plague horse Its In
lection OF plague toxin AND also remove the
blood from another, and 10 was cone csean-
ly. quickly and almost pain.essiy.
The rabbits. OF course. are used for the
production OF tetanin. and the doctor ives
quite pleased with MIS- Inventive assistants.
who are using an iafraocular method for
their subdural injections. and also a new
method for removing the spinal cord OF the
rabbit. Cutting on both ends ~ the spinal
column. the cord is pushed out by a RAM
rod which fits the canal. thereby saving
the trouble OF cutting open eacn separate
vertebra.
After a little conversation about mutual
friends and his plans Tor the future. Wit
quite a good deal OF regret. / replied 20 his
cordial ~"Say0hara" (good-bye). and Jaw his
.hite-robed coolies whisk hirn up the street,
yelling like the demons they were. 10 clear
the way for the chief surgeon OF Japan.
FRANK w. FOXwORTHY. NJ. ID.
Note-Kitasato was the first TO discover
the Iockjaw bacillus. This was IN 1873. lie
then prepared an immunizing serum and
also n curative serum. following the gen
eral principle discovered by Pasteur Tor
curing hyGrophobia. Kitasato Is by far the
most eminent OF Asiatic Psychologists. He
was for a time associated With Koch IN
his researches on tuberculosis. and II held
I'm high honor by his European confreres N
the science OF preventive medicine
The Day of the Young Man.
New York Press.
.