xxii Introduction 



reputation, spending much time on the study of the 

 transmission of the disease. He also originated the 

 theory that fleas transmit leprosy. 



The New Orleans Times-Democrat pertinently 

 stated that " he was remarkable for the unostenta- 

 tiousness of his bearing, and lived wholly for the 

 sake of his deep scientific knowledge and researches." 

 Nothing can be truer. He was body and soul in his 

 work, often forgetting to eat and even to sleep, 

 never seeming to rest nor take thought for himself, 

 yet always with the tenderest and most chivalric 

 consideration of others. I never knew any one who 

 disliked him. He may have had faults, but, after 

 six months' residence in his home, I can truthfully 

 say I don't know what they were. He was unquali- 

 fiedly the most unselfish man I ever saw, both at 

 home and abroad, and, withal, so modest that he 

 could with difficulty be induced to speak of what he 

 had done ; so indifferent to personal fame that he 

 never published one tenth of what he might have. 

 Nor, unfortunately, did he note down all he ob- 

 served. Many a time have I said as he recounted 

 to me some experiment or result, " Doctor, write it 

 down," and with a smile he would say, " It will go 

 in my book," then tuck it away in that wonderful 

 memory of his — and now it will never go into a book ! 



Thus it has fallen to me to do, in a poor, fragment- 

 ary way, what he would have done so well ; and may 

 he, knowing the difficulties that have lain in the 

 way, forgive the imperfection of the work, and, 

 remembering only that I have done my best to 

 make it as nearly as possible what I think he would 

 have wished, approve of the result. 



