﻿596 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1929 
  

  

  The 
  physically 
  backward 
  child 
  Seisaku 
  gave 
  his 
  age 
  as 
  14, 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   plained 
  that, 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  poverty 
  of 
  his 
  family, 
  he 
  would 
  be 
  obliged 
  

   to 
  leave 
  school. 
  On 
  learning 
  that, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  having 
  entered 
  the 
  

   school 
  a 
  year 
  or 
  two 
  later 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  pupils, 
  his 
  progress 
  had 
  been 
  

   so 
  rapid 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  surpassed 
  them 
  all, 
  the 
  principal 
  had 
  him 
  

   transferred 
  to 
  his 
  own 
  school 
  at 
  Inawashiro. 
  

  

  A 
  day 
  was 
  fixed 
  on 
  which 
  Seisaku 
  was 
  brought 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Kobayashi's 
  

   house 
  by 
  his 
  mother. 
  The 
  child 
  astonished 
  the 
  teacher 
  by 
  going 
  at 
  

   once 
  to 
  the 
  altar 
  of 
  Buddha, 
  found 
  in 
  many 
  Japanese 
  houses, 
  kneeling 
  

   before 
  it 
  and 
  repeating 
  a 
  little 
  prayer 
  before 
  saluting 
  the 
  principal. 
  

   As 
  is 
  customary 
  in 
  the 
  East, 
  the 
  mother 
  brought 
  with 
  her 
  a 
  present 
  

   which 
  she 
  tendered 
  the 
  teacher. 
  It 
  consisted 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  fresh-water 
  

   shrimp, 
  caught 
  doubtless 
  by 
  herself 
  in 
  the 
  adjacent 
  lake. 
  

  

  Seisaku 
  responded 
  quickly 
  to 
  the 
  new 
  environment, 
  making 
  rapid 
  

   progress 
  in 
  his 
  studies 
  and 
  growing 
  strong 
  in 
  body 
  and 
  daring 
  in 
  

   temperament. 
  It 
  is 
  recorded 
  that 
  he 
  would 
  fight 
  and 
  even 
  defeat 
  

   other 
  boys 
  of 
  his 
  class 
  with 
  his 
  single, 
  uninjured 
  arm. 
  However, 
  the 
  

   deformity 
  of 
  his 
  left 
  hand 
  constantly 
  vexed 
  him 
  and 
  he 
  considered 
  

   many 
  ways 
  of 
  having 
  it 
  corrected. 
  

  

  Just 
  at 
  this 
  time 
  and 
  while 
  Noguchi's 
  course 
  after 
  graduation 
  was 
  

   being 
  considered, 
  there 
  came 
  to 
  the 
  neighboring 
  city 
  of 
  Wakamatsu, 
  

   Dr. 
  Kanae 
  Watanabe, 
  whom 
  Noguchi 
  consulted. 
  Separation 
  of 
  the 
  

   fingers 
  was 
  undertaken 
  and 
  successfully 
  accomplished, 
  and 
  during 
  

   the 
  two 
  weeks 
  of 
  residence 
  in 
  the 
  doctor's 
  household, 
  while 
  the 
  treat- 
  

   ment 
  was 
  being 
  carried 
  out, 
  Noguchi 
  decided 
  to 
  become 
  a 
  doctor. 
  

   He 
  continued 
  with 
  Doctor 
  Watanabe, 
  serving 
  as 
  errand 
  boy 
  and 
  

   apprentice, 
  and 
  when 
  the 
  China-Japanese 
  War 
  broke 
  out 
  and 
  the 
  

   doctor, 
  an 
  ex-military 
  surgeon, 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  army, 
  the 
  young 
  

   Noguchi 
  was 
  left 
  in 
  charge 
  of 
  the 
  household 
  affairs 
  and 
  medical 
  

   practice. 
  

  

  With 
  a 
  strange 
  forecast 
  of 
  the 
  future, 
  Noguchi 
  immediately 
  arranged 
  

   with 
  a 
  middle-school 
  teacher 
  for 
  lessons 
  in 
  German 
  and 
  with 
  a 
  French 
  

   missionary 
  for 
  lessons 
  in 
  French, 
  endeavoring 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  beginning 
  in 
  English 
  by 
  himself. 
  Curiously 
  enough, 
  he 
  pro- 
  

   gressed 
  fastest 
  in 
  English, 
  although 
  in 
  time 
  he 
  obtained 
  a 
  reading 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  all 
  three 
  languages. 
  This 
  gift 
  for 
  languages 
  persisted, 
  

   and 
  later 
  he 
  added 
  not 
  only 
  enough 
  Italian 
  and 
  Spanish 
  to 
  enable 
  

   him 
  to 
  read 
  scientific 
  papers, 
  but 
  during 
  a 
  year's 
  residence 
  in 
  Copen- 
  

   hagen 
  he 
  mastered 
  spoken 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  written 
  Danish. 
  On 
  his 
  several 
  

   expeditions 
  to 
  South 
  America 
  where 
  he 
  studied 
  yellow 
  fever, 
  he 
  came 
  

   to 
  converse 
  in 
  Spanish 
  with 
  doctors 
  and 
  officials, 
  which 
  served 
  greatly 
  

   to 
  extend 
  his 
  personal 
  influence. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  at 
  this 
  early 
  period 
  in 
  his 
  mental 
  training 
  that 
  he 
  disciplined 
  

   himself 
  to 
  sleep 
  and 
  work 
  at 
  short 
  intervals. 
  This 
  habit 
  of 
  mind 
  and 
  

   body, 
  which 
  played 
  a 
  large 
  role 
  in 
  his 
  scientific 
  career, 
  he 
  never 
  subse- 
  

  

  