﻿NOGUCHI 
  — 
  FLEXNER 
  599 
  

  

  Kobayashi 
  as 
  "father," 
  and 
  in 
  1915 
  on 
  his 
  only 
  return 
  to 
  Japan 
  he 
  

   entered 
  into 
  a 
  pledge 
  of 
  brotherhood 
  with 
  Mr. 
  Kobayashi's 
  sons 
  and 
  

   daughters. 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  a 
  letter 
  written 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  before 
  

   Noguchi 
  sailed 
  for 
  Africa, 
  and 
  its 
  tone 
  and 
  contents 
  show 
  a 
  deep 
  

   affection 
  for 
  his 
  foster-father 
  and 
  reveal 
  that 
  he 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  habit 
  of 
  

   keeping 
  him 
  informed 
  of 
  his 
  scientific 
  work. 
  The 
  progress 
  of 
  the 
  

   studies 
  on 
  trachoma 
  is 
  related 
  in 
  this 
  letter. 
  Mr. 
  Koba3^ashi 
  is 
  said 
  

   to 
  have 
  told 
  Nogucki 
  that 
  his 
  three 
  main 
  assets 
  in 
  life 
  arose 
  from 
  his 
  

   physical 
  deformity, 
  his 
  poverty, 
  and 
  his 
  stubborn 
  will. 
  Mr. 
  Koba- 
  

   yashi 
  wrote 
  after 
  Noguchi's 
  death 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  made 
  a 
  great 
  mark 
  in 
  

   the 
  world 
  by 
  virtue 
  of 
  these 
  valuable 
  circumstances. 
  

  

  His 
  life 
  has 
  been 
  a 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  struggles, 
  and 
  when 
  he 
  died 
  a 
  dramatic 
  death 
  in 
  

   West 
  Africa 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  knowledge, 
  a 
  great 
  storm 
  was 
  raging. 
  Providence 
  did 
  

   not 
  give 
  him 
  peace 
  even 
  on 
  the 
  verge 
  of 
  death, 
  for 
  Seisaku, 
  the 
  child, 
  had 
  dreaded 
  

   above 
  everything 
  — 
  thunder. 
  

  

  Noguchi 
  arrived 
  in 
  Philadelphia 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  1899 
  under 
  circum- 
  

   stances 
  not 
  too 
  auspicious. 
  He 
  presented 
  himself 
  at 
  the 
  dormitories 
  

   of 
  the 
  University 
  of 
  Pennsylvania 
  unexpectedly, 
  and 
  in 
  accordance 
  

   with 
  eastern 
  custom 
  bearing 
  several 
  gifts, 
  which 
  the 
  writer 
  stiU 
  

   possesses 
  and 
  cherishes. 
  It 
  developed 
  that 
  the 
  most 
  immediately 
  

   pressing 
  question 
  would 
  be 
  that 
  of 
  financial 
  support. 
  The 
  smaU 
  

   capital 
  with 
  which 
  Noguchi 
  started 
  on 
  his 
  enterprising 
  voyage 
  had 
  

   been 
  all 
  but 
  exhausted 
  by 
  the 
  expenses 
  of 
  the 
  long 
  journey. 
  Univer- 
  

   sity 
  funds 
  for 
  his 
  support 
  there 
  were 
  none; 
  inquuy 
  among 
  Japanese 
  

   officials 
  brought 
  only 
  disappointment. 
  Hence 
  there 
  was 
  one 
  thing 
  

   only 
  to 
  do, 
  namely, 
  to 
  start 
  work 
  and 
  to 
  wait 
  for 
  something 
  to 
  turn 
  up. 
  

   A 
  theme 
  in 
  bacteriology 
  was 
  chosen 
  and 
  work 
  begun 
  in 
  the 
  cramped 
  

   quarters 
  allotted 
  to 
  pathology 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  medical 
  building. 
  Provi- 
  

   dence 
  was, 
  however, 
  not 
  unkind, 
  and 
  before 
  long 
  a 
  patron 
  was 
  found, 
  

  

  A 
  short 
  time 
  before 
  Noguchi's 
  arrival. 
  Dr. 
  Weir 
  Mitchell, 
  whose 
  

   contributions 
  to 
  the 
  nature 
  and 
  action 
  of 
  the 
  venoms 
  are 
  famous, 
  had 
  

   conceived 
  the 
  notion 
  of 
  a 
  further 
  study 
  along 
  the 
  liaes 
  of 
  immunology 
  

   which 
  was 
  then 
  a 
  fresh 
  and 
  advancing 
  subject. 
  He 
  and 
  the 
  writer 
  

   had 
  discussed 
  this 
  undertaking 
  and 
  were 
  awaiting 
  a 
  suitable 
  oppor- 
  

   tunity 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  start. 
  

  

  The 
  matter 
  was 
  now 
  presented 
  to 
  Noguchi, 
  who 
  fell 
  in 
  with 
  the 
  idea, 
  

   confessing 
  of 
  course 
  that 
  he 
  knew 
  nothing 
  whatever 
  of 
  venoms 
  and 
  

   next 
  to 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  immunology. 
  Doctor 
  Mitchell 
  pro- 
  

   vided 
  funds, 
  which 
  at 
  the 
  outset 
  just 
  sufficed 
  for 
  the 
  experiments 
  and 
  a 
  

   modest 
  sum 
  for 
  Noguchi's 
  living. 
  It 
  was 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  strenuous 
  en- 
  

   deavor 
  and 
  simple 
  living 
  for 
  him, 
  but 
  Noguchi's 
  long 
  struggle 
  with 
  

   adverse 
  conditions 
  in 
  Japan 
  made 
  it 
  one 
  of 
  no 
  great 
  hardship. 
  The 
  

   first 
  lot 
  of 
  rattlesnakes, 
  magnificent 
  specimens, 
  shipped 
  from 
  Florida, 
  

   was 
  killed 
  by 
  cold, 
  but 
  Doctor 
  Mitchell 
  soon 
  secured 
  others, 
  and 
  

   the 
  study 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  begun 
  but 
  quickly 
  began 
  to 
  yield 
  illuminating 
  

  

  