The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-08-25

6Nti tlNs aAis adtAUi hllIh IL the SuIl-lli-lhH
of the founder Of the Rockefeller Insti-
tute; the Memorial Institute was estab-
lished in memory Of a little daughter who
died of scarlet fever. and consequently
much OF the institutions work has been
directed specifically to the study of that
disease and Others such as measles and
whoOping cough, to which children are
peculiarly susceptible.
Hektoens work, both as director Of the
Memorial Institute and in the Rush Medi-
cal School, connected with the University
OF Chicago. entities him to be counted
among the germ fighters who are worth
while In this country 1t might be sup
posed from his name that he is Of foreign
birth. but he is a native of Wisconsin. the
son OF one of the Swedish Immigrants
who have made so deep an impress upop
the Northwest and have added one of its
most interesting elements 10 the modern
composite American race DIT. HektOen is
still young, being only forty-four, and has
plenty OF time before him 10 which 10
prosecute the fight. He is a graduate of
DEBORAH College, Iowa, but he studied
also at Prague, Berlin Vienna, and the
University OF Wisconsin. He has had 20
make his own way in the world. and one
OF the rounds OF his ladder was the post
of coroner's physician In Chicago, which
he held from 1890 to 1894.
He is much interested In the curious
discovery by the Englishman. a. f.
Wright. Of substances in the blood which
he terms "opsonins. and which, by their
effect upon the germs, he says, acts as
"appetizers" 10 the white eorpuscles OF
the blood and so enable them TO destroy
many more germs than they could with
out such stimulus. DR.. Hektoen is not
lacking in breadth. but Re is a great de-
tail man, and does much OF his original
work with his own hands.
FIexner and WeIch.
Dr. Flexner, a Kentuckian by birth. is
the same age as Hektoen, Flexner is
Of Jewish descent. and he took post
graduate courses at Johns Hopkins, the
University of Strassburg. and the Uni
versity of Berlin. after getting his NJ. d.
degree az the University OF Louisville.
He is little and slight. with specialized
blue-gray eyes. and close cropped hair
that is too gray for forty-four. yet he
doesn't look old beyond his years. To
tell the truth. he might be taken for a
man either five years less or five years
older than he really IS. He works like
dynamo. He has absorbed a rather Ger
man air from his long residence at Ger
man universities. and because OF a
protracted stay in Japan, where he went
10 see what the little brown scientists
OF the Rising Sun Empire were doing In
bacteriology. some years ago. is a great
admirer of those Orientals.
He isn't an easy man to interview, and
he never has been known 10 say anything
in advance in regard 10 his work, save
once. That was just after his appoint
ment as director Of the institute; and
even then he declined to give details.
II was because Of a discovery that is
bound TO be of great value in the treat
ment Of intestinal diseases, made soon
after the death OF a Rockefeller grand
son. that Or. Flexner was chosen d.
rector Of the new institute which was
only projected then. At that time ne
was only forty, but famous, already hav-
Ing been sent TO the Philippines to study
tropical diseases. and also having made
some important discoveries regarding
snake bites. He is the first man since
DR.. Weir BIitchelrs youth to make an
exhaustive study of serpents' venom
Flexner was on the stan Of the Univer-
sity Of Pennsylvania when chosen diTec-
tor, and had a big collection OF rattle
snakes there. An anti-snake poison Sc
rum is said 10 be numbered among his
discoveries. which has proved its ability
to save the life Of a snake-bitten man
once at least. He is unmarried
DR.. Flexner is very good friends" In
deed with DR.. William II. Welch, the
pathological expert OF Johns Hopkins.
and was long his assistant, becoming
famous when only a little over thirty
for meteorological discoveries made while
working with him. DR.. WEIGH is if
teen years older than Flexner; wonder
fully broad in his work. and also. il the
words Of half a dozen weil-known bac-
teriOlogists Of to-day be taken at their
face value. wonderfully helpful 20 others
OF his profession. especially 10 younger
men in whom he sees signs OF ability.
As teacher he is said 10 have inspired
the original work Of several men who are
more than usually worth while and
while his own discoveries have not been
numerous, he has done a great deal 10
harmonic. coordinate and make effec-
tive the work OF others.
He was born in Connecticut. was AZ the
Bellevue Hospital Medical College. New
York, when Johns Hopkins was opened
and was then called to the latter institu-
ton. Or. Osler, who was so misquoted
about the ''uselessness" OF man past
forty, a few years ago. was called to
Johns Hopkins at the same time A little |
later the rule was made to admit no stu
dent 10 the university who never had /
taken a bachelors degree, something that 1
neither Osler nor WEIGH had even at /
tanned
IT'S good for us that we got faculty
jobs, isn't #. Osler?" queried WEIGH, |
with a grin. when this regulation was |
made.
Good Germ Research Work.
The most remarkable ARCHAEOLOGICAL |
work done by American scientists was |
the discovery and development after the |
Spanish war, By Drs. Reed, Finlay, La /
GEAR. and Agramonte, that mosquitoes 1
transmit yellow fever and malaria. La
GEAR and Carroll allowed themselves to /
be bitten by infected mosquitoes; Lazear /
died Of the fever. but Carroll lived He
Is not now IN good health, however. while |
Reed died about a year ago. Agramonte
Is the only one Of this noteworthy quintet
Of investigators who is both alive and
well at this time.
DR.. F. c. Novy, professor Of bacteri-
0lOgy at the University Of Michigan, Ann
Arbor, has done something worth while
IN his Investigations of the African sleep
ing sickness OF trypanosm. which belongs
10 the same class Of diseases as malaria
J. e., Il is transmitted by protocol passed
by insects, as mosquitoes pass yellow
fever. The sleeping sickness is passed
oy black fly. DR.. Novy mas worked to
perfect a serum which he finds ef1cacious
with animals. although It never has been
tried on man. The doctor never has been
IN Africa, but he had the germs of the
sleeping sickness brought here In rats