[The author didn't address the letter formally, but it was written to Abby Turner.]New York.
Thursday.Still here and probably shall be until next week. I judged from an early remark of Dr. Noguchi that he would advise about 10 days spent here and his offers to arrange matters with Dr. Graves in case I cared to stay a few days longer met an eager response in me. Goodness knows when I'll have such an opportunity again. You see it takes time to prepare antigens, and a good antigen is one of his points. I have one in the works now. Dr. Graves writes at intervals to please bring things. At present I expect to travel with 1 bottle antigen, 1 bottle ambocepter, & cultures of typhoid, paratyphoids A & B, B. coli, 3 strains of dysentery, mucosus capsulatus, glanders basilli & cholera. Needless to say I shall not stop in Washington. My traveling companions require both heat and cold and ought to reach a safe spot as soon as possible.
I trust Dr. Noguchi's method of doing the complement fixation test in syphilis proves reliable for general adoption. It is so simple as compared with the Wassermann's as they are done, for instance, at P. & S. There an elaborate system of titration is goen through with every time to determine the strength of the guinea pig complement; all sera have to be heated at 56&deb; for half an hour. etc, and sheep cells have to be gotten. Dr. Noguchi uses human R. B. C. & [...tch...] an amboceptor from rabbits. The new thing he does is to use the serum just as it comes inot the laboratory, thus making use of the normal human complement. His method, then, does away with the need for sheep corpuscles and guinea pigs and makes it simple to handle. Antigens and sheep's amboceptor have to be titrated, but not for every test. So far the results I have seen have been very clear cut. He says the elaborate methods of titrating complement in the sheep cell method are "all nonsense" for they never know how much amboceptor toward sheep's proteins there is in the serum to be tested. Two noons I've been down to luncheon with him and he amuses himself during that time by learning Spanish from a Spanish doctor. It seems that even now Dr. Noguchi is packing for a little trip to So. America and while the boys collect glassware enough to stock four laboratories, Dr. Noguchi prepares for the trip by learning the language of the country to which he is going.
Dr. Ruddick, the woman M.D., who is in the laboratory - occasionally - amuses me exceedingly. I believe she is supposed to be somewhat responsible for things out in the mani [?] lab but she is too much blessed with her family. Her brother is in the base hospital and requires frequent attention, her mother arrived from California yesterday and requires more attention, and her husband is doctor on a transport which returned and docked yesterday noon and needs constant companionship. Consequently she shoves off most of her work on the rest of us, at least all the small things that require a few moments here and there and then half hour waits. She asks us "just to put in cells at 12:30 and I'll be back" but she isn't. I think I'll discipline her a little soon, maybe tomorrow, for she didn't get back today to read the routine tests she set up, and every night she goes off and leaves things on her desk that ought to be in her ice box. Dr. Noguchi comes out, looks around, collects her leavings and politely suggests to me that it would be better to put those on ice over night. But she's very tactful in getting done the things he suggests and she does work quickly. I believe two more of the family come Saturday so she'll be more engaged than ever. She's entertaining, though, and proves very amusing to one or two little Jap students who come to the labortory. [sic] A telephone message sounds something like this "Please tell Dr. Nanatano that Dr. Takaka is calling." Dr. Takaka arrives - a tiny man with big nose and glasses and a peaked head & small chin. He wishes to learn the test. Dr. Noguchi turns him over to Dr. Ruddick. To all questions Dr. Takaka says carefully "Yes, ma'am" and occasionally Dr. Naguchi rushes out and demands of him "What are you doing?", implying by his voice that he's doing something he shouldn't. Dr. Takaka answers or Dr. Ruddick makes a remark and Dr. Noguchi departs pacified.
The thing that appeals to me most, however, is the fact that the laboratory understrappers "understrap" as it were. At P. & S. they run the department, you know. Now when we ask for a clean beaker or a guinea pig we are not told to get it ourselves if we can find one. Phil, or Eddy, or Albert, shows us the article or brings it to us cheerfully. They are youngsters - 18 or 19 but Eddy looks about 15, nice youngsters who stick their heads around the door at night one at a time, say politely "Goodnight, doctor" and send off. Dr. Noguchi trains them vigorously. I wish he would go over to P. & S. for a while.
Guess I'll mail this and go to bed. It's now 10:30 & Eva is out calling so I'll try for the tub before she gets home. It's been a nice day to walk to Montague. I hope it continues so - both for you & Dr. Clapp and also for me who lost my pet fold up umbrella today. Heretofore it's rained every day and the loss makes me anxious. It sounds as if guns were going off. Are the submarines trying to enter N.Y. harbor?
Howard Wolff, or however he spells his name, sailed for France last Tuesday. This letter isn't very beautiful but my pen leaks. Have a good time and get rested up a bit. Please remember me to Dr. Clapp.
With much love to yourself
BerylWhat you said in your letter about my having a "better time in Louisville than going off traming isn't right. I'd have a better time tramping with you. Don't you know that? Louisville is new & therefore exciting but in no way to be put before a mountain[.]