The Jewish outlook., 1907-12-13
A Jewish Hero of Science

which he has himself sought or which
has devOlved upon him, none has had
a more remarkable career than the
Jewish scientist, DR.. Waldemar Nj. w.
Hatfkine, a native of Odessa, a pupil
of Pasteur and world renowned bac-
teriologist, whose achievements in the
service of the British government in
India have made mankind his debtor
to an extraordinary degree. This
Jewish product Of benighted Russia
is Just AZ years of age, and he has al
ready managed to crowd into his life
enough good service to entitle him to
rank as one of the most useful men of
his day and generation.
The plague has long been an insid-
ious foe to the welfare of the people
of India. In the days before medical
science had attained its present status
the mortality from this dread visitor
was simply enormous. 1t constituted
the greatest menace to the welfare OF
the land and its inhabitants, greater
even than the terrible famine. Even
with the advance of medical and hy
gienic science the devastation has con-
tinued. A writer in BiackWOOd's
Wagazine has recently furnished
graphic narrative of the recent history
of the dread disease and of lIat1kine's s
part in staying its ravages. He makes
the almost incredible assertion that
during the past eleven years nearly
five million of the natives have died
from the plague. The worst super
stitions and fears of the people are
naturally aroused by these visitations.
The political agitators who are always
ready to profit by any calamity and
who are at present desperately trying
to undermine English rule in the
great peninsula. have not been slow
totalsc advantage OF these fears una
superstitions. The writer in Black
WOOd's informs us that, "In the four
teenth century, during the prevalence
of the Black Death. the Jews were
massacred wholesale because they
were supposed to have poisoned the
wells and caused the plague. In the
Punjab a grave suspicion has arisen
among the ignorant masses that the
plague is due to the English having
poisoned the wells In Europe the ha-
tired produced by privation, distrust
and suspicion showed itself in popu-
lar commotion. as it has showed itself
in the land of the Five Rivers. Tru-
ly there is nothing new under the
sun.
Singularly enough. it is to Il Jewish
scientist that the people of India are
indebted for their greatest weapon
against the fell disease. ''In 1S93,'
says Mr.. Forrest. the author of the
article in BldckWOOd's, Monsieur
Haffkine went out to India with the
object Of testing there IA method of
cholera incubation that he had elab-
Grated at the Pasteur Institute in
Paris Like the honorable man
he is said the eminent scientist.
Lord Lister, ''he experimental first
on himself. At Calcutta he first
taught his system to the medical
men of India. Haffkine, however,
felt confidence in his method,
and he proceeded to the United
Provinces and the Punjab, and
in the burning heat of an Indian
summer he rode from village to vii
lage, preaching and explaining the
benefits of his method. and carrying
out the operation upon thousands
He repeated this experiment in sub
sequent years, suffering untold hard
ships and was himself laid low by
severe attack of fever. OF this expert
.n.o ord ,ictor hoe cniI ssIJa nm