Evening star., 1915-11-11
GIRL OFFERS LIFE
T0TESTA CURE
Mary Davies, Heroine, Gives
Self to Science to Benefit
Poisoned Soldiers.
AMERICAN SCIENTIST
FINALLY SAVES HER
Continues Experiments to Counter
act Gas Gangrene, But Results
Still Are in Doubt.
BY HERBERT COREY.
Copyright, 1915.)


Copyright, 1915)
PARIS, October 19.-Not all the
heroes of this war are in the trenches.
Many gallant deeds have been unavail-
ing. But the quality of heroism is not
to be measured by success.
Take the case of Mary Davies. She is
an English woman, a nurse by profes-
sion. healthy. pretty and young. Her
father holds a high official position In
India For some years Miss Davies has
been studying bacteriology at the Pas
teur Institute here. When the war
broke out she sought to "do her bit"
as so many of the English women are
doing. She attached herself to the
American Hospital at Neuilly. There
she came in contact with DR.. Kenneth
Taylor
A word about DR.. Taylor He was un-
til recently the bacteriologist of the
Imperial Cancer Institute. Before that
he occupied the chair of bacteriology
in Minnesota University. Although
young man, he is distinguished scien-
tist. He is one of the sort who shrinks
from nothing If by daring accomplish
ment it seems possible Incidentally he
story out of the papers. Not all scien-
tists-even in war time-shrink from
little earned praise.
Watch the gas gangrene," said his
superiors in the hospital to DR.. Tay-
lor.
Gas gangrene had never been heard
of until the Germans began using as
phyxiating gas. Unpleasant details will
be skipped as far as possible, but this
much of hint at the quality of gas
gangrene may be given: Gas forms in
the muscular tissues of the sufferer.
His entire body swells. The only prac-
ticable treatment has been to slash
open the flesh of the mans arms and
forming gas. BY and by he dies. In that
way he escapes his agony.
DR.. Taylor Experiments.
Surgeons have been experimenting
furtously in the effort to conquer the
disease. Perhaps the surgery has
sometimes been rough and ready, but
no matter. The men would have died
anyhow. They could not suffer more
than they were suffering Human en-
durance has it's limits. DR.. Taylor had
recourse to the faithful guinea pig,
like any other bacteriologist in a like
case. After the one hundredth-or one
thousandth-had been used he was
able to make an announcement in the
Lancet.
The qusnine treatment seems prom
ising."
That, to the lay mind. was about all
that DR.. Taylor said. He had injected
preparation Of quinine into the in
oculated guinea pigs, and some of them
lived-some Of them. mark you. The
experiment had not been completed.
But it seemed promising. Here ensues
gap in the narrative. 1t has not been
preparation on a soldier victim. In
any case that treatment might not have
been successful.
You see." said another physician,
there are so few pure cases of gas
gangrene. A man may have a dozen
different dangerous organisms preying
on him in the trenches. but he doesn't
know it. Then something happens and
he goes down. His case may be labeled
this or 1t may be called that. In fact,
it may be a combination of many
things. The principal ailment may
have many collateral relations at work
upon the patient"
Mary Davies Heroic Act.
One day Mary Davies said goodbye
to DR.. Taylor. She was going away.
she said, for rest. She might be gone
several days. She did not know. What
she really did was to take room
across the way from the American
Hospital and for four days put herself
through a course of dieting. She real
ly trained for what she was about to
do. When she thought that her top
note of health had been reached she
deliberately injected the virus of gas
gangrene into her thigh. Then she
waited. Two hours after she walked
across the street and into the Ameri-
can Hospital.
Send for DIR. Taylor" she said. 81
have inoculated myself with gas gan
creme. / can feel the first symptoms"
1t was that undoubted case of uncom-
plicated gas gangrene for which DIR.
Taylor had perhaps been hoping in his
soul of scientist. No trench maladies
were present here. Nothing in the
world was wrong with the young wom-
an except the dread disease of the war.
1t has not been possible to fully explain
gas gangrene to the reader. There are
some things which must be taken for
granted
Good Lord" said DR.. Taylor. "Hur-
ry."
Makes Fight for Life.
For twenty-four hours he fought for
her life. All the familiar symptoms