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HEADQUARTERS ARMY MEDICAL CENTER
WASHINGTON
January 25, 1933.
General F. F. Russell,
The Rockefeller Foundation,
61 Broadway,
New York, N.Y.
My dear Russell:
I was pleased to receive your letter of January 17th. It has taken
me some time to look up the dates in connection with Reed's experiments, but
I found them all and am very glad to give you all the details. Major Reed and I left Havana on the Transport "Rawlins" on the
evening of August 2nd, 1900, arriving in New York Harbor on August 7th.
Reed was on his way to the United States to read a paper and to attend to
other matters. I returned to Camp Columbia on September 18th and automatically
became Post Surgeon as Captain Stark was absent on a long leave. Reed returned
to Camp Columbia October 1, 1900. 4th , Keen Carroll was bitten by one of Lazear's mosquitoes on August 27th,
taken on sick report August 31st and to the yellow fever wards of the Camp
Columbia Hospital on September 1st. Dean (X.Y.) was bitten by Lazear's
mosquitoes on August 31st. Lazear was reported to have been bitten by mos-
quitoes on September 13th at Las Animas Hospital in Havana. I feel quite sure
(and I know that Major Reed felt the same way) that Lazear had bitten himself
with the same batch of mosquitoes that had bitten Carroll and X.Y. He was sick
for a day or two before he called in a doctor and was seriously ill in his
quarters on the afternoon of September 18th when I returned to Camp Columbia.
I saw him with Doctor Ames, our yellow fever expert, and the next morning he was
sent to our yellow fever wards (September 19th). Lazear died on September 28,
1900. (?) Reed returned to Camp Columbia on October 1st and was both shocked
and thrilled by the events which had happened at Camp Columbia just prior to
his return. I had charge of Lazear's effects and turned over to Major Reed
all of his papers including a small note book which contained very meager in-
formation concerning mosquitoes and the persons bitten. No other records
could be found. This small note book was, I understand, in Carroll's possession
after Reed's death, and then mysteriously disappeared. I think Kean and
Ireland have some information concerning that which I am going to try to obtain.
The small note book contained enough information together with the facts known
by the doctors at the hospital so that Reed could piece things together and draw
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up his preliminary report. I remember very distinctly that Carroll, although
returned to quarters from the hospital, could give Reed very little infor-
mation about anything Lazear had done excepting, of course, his own contact
with Lazear's mosquitoes. Carroll and Lazear were working along different
lines and the former was distinctly not interested in the latter's work until
Carroll became sick. It was on this account that Reed had such a hard time
getting facts together for neither Carroll nor Agramonte (who was not at
Camp Columbia at all up to this time) could tell him anything about Lazear's
work. Knowing that two British investigators, who had visited Reed at
Camp Columbia in June or July, 1900, might get similar results in their
experiments in South America, Reed felt that an immediate report of Lazear's
results should be published. So he started in immediately and drew up his
paper, during the next week, entitled "The Etiology of Yellow Fever: A
Preliminary Note." On October 14, 1900 he sailed from Havana enroute to
the States to read this paper at Indianapolis, Indiana before the American
Public Health Association at their annual meeting, October 21-27, 1900. ? On October 31st he sailed from New York for Havana and then im-
mediately took up the work of definitely proving the statements made in his
preliminary note. This paper was bitterly attacked by several people, but
especially by Wasdin and Geddings of the Public Health Service. Their
article was, I think, published in the Philadelphia Medical Journal [ ] a week
or two after Reed's article appeared in the same journal. As soon as I get
time I am going to try to find these two articles. I think the above will answer all of your questions, especially
the one about Reed's return to the States on October 14th and the fact that
Carroll was actually bitten by Lazear's mosquitoes. If I can give you any
other information it will be a great pleasure to do so. With best regards, Very sincerely yours, -2- |
