﻿HIDEYO 
  NOGUCHI 
  

  

  By 
  Simon 
  Flexnek 
  

   The 
  Rockefeller 
  Institute 
  for 
  Medical 
  Research, 
  New 
  York 
  

  

  [With 
  1 
  plate] 
  

  

  Hideyo 
  Noguchi 
  was 
  born 
  on 
  November 
  24, 
  1876, 
  in 
  Inawashiro, 
  

   Fukushima, 
  a 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  mountains 
  of 
  northern 
  Japan. 
  His 
  name 
  

   during 
  childhood 
  was 
  Seisaku 
  which, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  custom 
  in 
  his 
  country, 
  

   was 
  changed 
  to 
  another 
  when 
  he 
  reached 
  manhood. 
  The 
  adoption 
  

   of 
  the 
  name 
  "Hideyo" 
  gives 
  us 
  an 
  insight 
  into 
  the 
  way 
  his 
  budding 
  

   mental 
  powers 
  impressed 
  those 
  about 
  him, 
  for 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  parts 
  com- 
  

   posing 
  the 
  word, 
  "Hide" 
  means 
  superior 
  or 
  eminent, 
  and 
  "yo 
  " 
  

   means 
  world. 
  The 
  prophecy 
  carried 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  came 
  to 
  a 
  remark- 
  

   able 
  realization 
  as 
  subsequent 
  events 
  showed. 
  

  

  Noguchi 
  graduated 
  from 
  the 
  local 
  academy 
  at 
  Aizu 
  in 
  1889, 
  

   receiving 
  during 
  this 
  period 
  a 
  preliminary 
  introduction 
  into 
  medical 
  

   practice. 
  The 
  circumstances 
  of 
  his 
  early 
  schooling 
  are 
  delightfully 
  

   set 
  forth 
  in 
  an 
  account 
  prepared 
  by 
  his 
  teacher 
  and 
  foster-father, 
  

   Sakae 
  Kobayashi, 
  which 
  was 
  used 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  memorial 
  

   exercises 
  held 
  in 
  Doctor 
  Noguchi's 
  honor 
  in 
  his 
  native 
  village. 
  

  

  According 
  to 
  this 
  account, 
  Noguchi 
  belonged 
  to 
  a 
  family 
  which 
  had 
  

   become 
  greatly 
  impoverished. 
  After 
  the 
  restoration 
  of 
  the 
  Meiji, 
  

   Mr. 
  Kobayashi, 
  a 
  samurai 
  af 
  the 
  Aizu 
  clan, 
  being 
  learned 
  in 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  classics, 
  entered 
  the 
  teaching 
  profession 
  and 
  became 
  principal 
  

   of 
  the 
  higher 
  school 
  (academy) 
  at 
  Inawashiro, 
  with 
  which 
  were 
  

   affiliated 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  more 
  elementary 
  schools 
  of 
  the 
  neighboring 
  

   villages. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  visited 
  these 
  lower 
  schools, 
  and 
  on 
  one 
  occasion 
  while 
  

   examining 
  the 
  children 
  at 
  Sanjogata, 
  his 
  interest 
  was 
  aroused 
  in 
  an 
  

   Ul-clad 
  pupil 
  whose 
  left 
  hand 
  was 
  badly 
  deformed. 
  On 
  inquiry 
  it 
  

   developed 
  that 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  two 
  years 
  the 
  hand 
  had 
  been 
  severely 
  

   burned, 
  and 
  the 
  primitive 
  medical 
  treatment 
  had 
  left 
  the 
  fingers, 
  

   while 
  not 
  completely 
  lost, 
  yet 
  grown 
  together 
  and 
  almost 
  useless. 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  substance 
  of 
  this 
  sketch 
  was 
  adopted 
  as 
  a 
  minute 
  for 
  the 
  records 
  of 
  the 
  Board 
  of 
  Scientific 
  Directors 
  

   of 
  the 
  Rockefeller 
  Institute 
  for 
  Medical 
  Research. 
  Reprinted 
  by 
  permission 
  from 
  Science, 
  June 
  28, 
  1929, 
  

  

  82322—30 
  39 
  593 
  

  

  