Omaha daily bee., 1911-04-30

used every means in his possession TO con- /
quer the disease. But again he failed.
And thus that immigrants might live,
scientists died.
superstitiOn Among Doctors.
A sort Of superstition has grown up
among physicians. The feeling is common
among them that the man who specializes
on any particular disease is liable to be-
come its victim some time or other in life.
His own particular speciality is looked
upon as being especially fatal to him II
he is ever stricken. According to this
superstition the cancer authority is more
than liable to die Of cancer, the tubercu-
losis specialist must guard against con-
sumption, and the appendicitis expert must
make up his mind that sooner or later he
must lie on the operating table where so
many have lain under his knife. The
death Of the meningitis student caused
little wonder among his fellow physicians.
Their only speculation was as to who
might be the next to pay the price that
is so often required Of the student and the
investigator.
Some years ago there was a specialist
on mental diseases in st. Louis who was
recognized as one of the nations authori-
| ties on insanity. He was a lecturer Of
more than local note on his favorite sub
| ject and his textbooks are still found in
the Libraries Of the older physicians. Some
| time ago he dropped out of sight His
| friends speak Of him now as one who is
dead He is lost to the world of science
Of which he was once apart. His mind
| gave away under the strain just as he him
| self had seen so many minds give way.
! Insanity, hopeless, stubborn, incurable in
sanity finally claimed him. The man who
has been able to restore so many minds
to their normal workings was unable tC
save himself from the bars and the strait
Jackets of the lunatic. II is said that h'
never suspected the coming Of his NAL
ady. He is now in an eastern sanitarium
Most of his old acquaintances in st. Loui:
and vincinity are under the impression tina
he is dead.
The physician has often forfeited hii
life in his search for the causes that liz
back of the most elusive diseases. Some
thing Of the same spirit that started th'
crusaders Of old in their march upon the
Saracen is found in the breast of the
modern investigator of battling and OBJ
scure diseases. The big battles of the
race are now being fought out in the lab
oratories and in the worlds operating
rooms. The only batteries that arr
brought into action are the batteries o.
shining telescopes. The only steel tina
is clashed is the scalpel. Instead Of fight
ing the Saracen and the infidel the cru
sader of today fights the bacilli and tn
bacteria, the germ and tiny organism
that are far more deadly than the scim
itar or the slim brown lances of the des
ert warriors whom Richard met.
Swelling Roll of Martyrs,
Every year adds a new marytr to tn
long list of medical men who have die,
in their search for the mysteries that Ii
back Of the most battling diseases. Man
of these martyrs live crippled for the res
of their days by some affection som
combination of chemicals or by the after
math of some malady that has finall
turned upon them. Hopeless wrecks o
once strong men live on uselessly an
without hope, drawn and twisted by tn
effects of the X-ray. They were able T.
cure others with these weird rays, Blu
they gave up their own vitality to do 81
! Last July Dr. Kassabian OF New Yor
, died of skin cancer brought on by tn
X-ray. He had been burned time afte
r time by their mysterious radiance. H
, had been dying for years. In the year
: that he was slowly wasting away unde
the inroads of the malady he was givin
J relief to thousands. He saw that he wa
I doomed ten years before his death. 1
common with practically every X-ray ma
in the world he had been suffering a
: various times from burns caused by thi
9 mysterious energy that is given off by tn
: Rontgen ray. His always maintained tn
3 greatest secrecy concerning his own con
r dition. He realized that it was part q