PIONEERS.

Waikato Times, Volume 105, Issue 17605, 9 January 1929, Page 6

PIONEERS.

A tribute which Lord Dawson of Penn (whose name has appeared frequently in the cable messages during the past few weeks as one of t King's physicians) paid to the work recently carried out in Africa on yt low fever deserves the attention of a wider audience. That work engaged the services of three men of outstanding ability and reputation—Adrian Shakes, Noguchi, and William YoungTliev set out to determine the true character of the causative organism of vellow fever, and for a long time laboured in vain, because they were unable to discover any animal which was susceptible to the disease. At last, however, patience was rewarded. A tvpe of monkey was found which showed a high degree of susceptibility. The three workers proceeded to prepare vaccines from the tissues of animals of this species which had been infected, and achieved the remarkable result that they were able to affoid complete protection against ‘ any and every dose of yellow fever virus. In short, they were well on the way to giving the world a specific protection against yellow fever. Then came the tragedv. Stokes became infected with the terrible virus with which lie was working and quickly succumbed. A short time afterwards Noguchi also became infected. It fell to William Young, the last survivor of the parly, to perform, in the interests of the work, a post-mortem examination on the body of Noguchi. He did not shrink from the hazardous enterprise, and he paid for his courage and devotion with his life. Thus triumph lias been turned into failure. Yet, so line is the spirit that animates the medical profession, others will be found to begin where these men left off, facing the same risks with the same imperturbable courage. Another illustration of this spirit was given by Lord Dawson when he referred to the recent untimely death of Robert Knox, “ pioneer and leader of radiology, by the study of which he cut short his life of work and friendship.” These men, in widely different departments of medicine, have given their lives for their friends, it is a matter of congratulation that, to-day though the husbandmen fall, the fruit is sure to be gathered, it was not always so in the history of medicine. Lord Lawson, on the authority of Mr Thompson, Curator of the Wellcome Historical Medical Museum, disclosed the fact that, some 20 years before the discovery of ether in America and of chloroform in Scotland, a certain young doctor named Hickman was producing anaesthesia in animals by the inhalation of gases and performing painless operations on those animals. He brought his results to the notice of the English and the French professions and tried to persuade them to institute the same anaesthesia for man. But his appeals were of no avail.