New-York tribune., 1911-03-22
DR.. ASHLEY SUCCUMBS
TO SPINAL MENINGITIS
Discoverer cf Serum Himself
Among Those Who Tried to
Save BacterioIogiSt.
SAY GRIPPE AFFECTED CASE
Death Comes in Quarantine Hos
pital-"No Man Ever More
Faithful to Duty D..
Doty Asserts.

The ,ity's greatest specialists tried
! yesterday to save the life Of Dr. Edward
+. Ashley. one Of the bacteriolosists Al
the Quarantine Hospital, in the harbcr
but the young man died at $3.50 y. IN.
Or. Ashley. who was thirty YEAR old
| contracted cerebro-s spinal meningitis
while participating = the autopsies on
the bodies Of Greek steerage passengers
| brought 10 this port a week ago on the
Greek steamship Patras and the Martha
! Washington. IF the Austro- American
Line. He was stricken on Sunday night.
DR.. Simon Flexner, Of the Rockefeller
Institute. discovcrer OF the new serum
/ successfully used in the cases Of several
of the infected immigrants attended DR..
Ashley at Swinburnc Island yesterday.
| injections Of the new serum were gi-en
| tc Dr Ashley. and there was an ap-
! parent Improvement in the patients con-
dition Yesterday afternoon. Or. Doty
then said. however. that Dr Ashley had
, acquired pulmonary affection after an
attack of grip. which complicated mat
ters.
Every Possible Effort to Save Him.
The sick man was visited Yesterday by
Dr. William II. Park cdirector of the
Research Laboratories of the Depart
ment of Health. Health O"icer Doty,
two other physicians and three nurses
also labored in the vain attempt To save
the man whose forgetfulncss of his own
limitations in strength brought on the
disease in its most malignant FORM
while he battled to keep it from spread
ing.
While the infected steamships were in
quarantine the work had to he rushed.
DR.. Ashley arose at I q. m. and worked
until midnight as long as the infuX of
Ccrebro-spina meningitis cases de-
manded. The work required the most
painstaking attention. DR.. Ashley's
reputation was always 10 do more work
than might reasonably be demanded of
him. His vitality became lowered.
Within six hours after he complained TO
Or. Doty of suffering from a headache
on Sunday evening. DR.. Ashley was de-
lrous 1t was difficult for his physi-
clans and nurses to keep him in bed.
His parents. who live in Waterbury,
Conn, were with him when lie died.
DR. Ashley was a graduate of Yale
and Of the College of Physicians and
Surgeons, sew York City. lie had been
assisting Or. Doty for about year. He
performed heroic service during the re-
cent cholera scare that resulted upon
the arrival of ships from the Mcditter-
Ianean.
Doty rays Ashley a Tribute.
Dr. Doty said last night: NO man
could have been more earnes, in his
work or faithful in his duties"
The first injection Of the Floxner
serum was made at noon on Monday;
the second at > a. m. yesterday. A
third injection failed to produce any
special result
His case was exceedingly malignant.
said DR. Doty last night. and pre-
vious attack Of bronchitis increased its
severity and had largely to do with the
fatal result. In this Or. FleXner con
ours.
DR. Ashley. who had an apartment at
Hoffman Island Hospital, complained on
Sunday Of not feeling well. but attrib-
uted his condition to a cold ne had pre-
viously contracted He became very III
during the night and his condition was
reported to me early on Monday morn
ing. | saw him at once with NV stan,
and il was evident at tho first eXaml-
nation that he was suffering from cere-
bro-s spinal meningitis. H was immedi-
ately transferred to Swinburne Island
Hospital. where special arrangements
were made FOR the administration Of the
serum"
flo Chance for Serum 10 Act.
In malignant cases of the disease ~.
Do,,.. eays the intoyicsiion of the poison
IS 50 great thar the serum does not get
q chance To- act Death in such cases
usually occurs. ho said, within 'or'y-
eight hours The infection of bac-
teriologist is uncommon. The serum
worked remarkably wcll in eight Of nine
cases at Swinburnc Island. one patient
died. but the rest are on their way to re-
covcry.
Dr. Doty believes that u Afaley got
the bacteria into the membrane of his
nose or mouth while working ON the
bodi,s Of the C~ooks. So far AS the
Health Officer is able to determine no
one is injected through the nursing "f
rorsons in of meningitis.
I'VE are a bit uncertain as 10 the form
Of transmission the disease takes.' he
said. but Wc know il does not act as
smallpox. dphtheria or typhoid"
The funeral will be held at -. John
Church. Rosebark, staten Island. tins
afternoon. and the body VIII b" taken to
the homo uf Dr Ashloy's parents for
burial at Watcrl ry.
FATAL EhIl IM NXMM tCli IM