Letter from Estela Agramonte Rodriguez Leon to Philip Showalter Hench, February 2, 1941 |
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15 Street No. 34 Vedado,
Havana, Cuba
February 2nd/41.
Not Received until
March 11, 1941
Dr. Philip S. Hench,
Mayo Clinic,
Rochester, Minnesota.
Dear Dr. Hench:-
I am sorry to see how much I have
delayed again in answering your letters of January
and February. I received the brochure on your
talk on the Yellow Fever experiments at Washington
and Jefferson University; also the reprints of the
preliminary sketches for the John Wyeth Co. painting
and the page of my father's address. Thank you I have been more than usually busy lately
with Board Examinations at our school; and we
are hoping to put on a Spanish play by our
department, during Easter week, which will mean
added responsability for me in the rehearsing,
costuming and publicity of same. You tell
me you expect to come to Cuba late in March,
I certainly hope we will have the pleasure
of renewing our very pleasant acquaintance
with you and Mrs. Hench. I also hope that your
stay will be prolonged into April sufficiently,
that I may get a chance to offer you some
assistance with your investigations (after
my "dramatic" venture is over and I have some
free time). As to the papers out at the farm, I
am not very sure I can promise you any-
thingdefinite. I shall try, but the place is
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rented and quite out of the way. I shall do my best about
trying to get something, at least; but since all of it
is too bulky to bring here and the cases are not
classified I am doubtful that there is anything
there of extreme value. Mostly, as I can remember
they are reprints of papers and addresses; loads
of pictures of medical conferences and missions
etc, etc, The negatives of what seemed to be early
photographs I brought home with me on my
last visit, and I believe there are one or two files
here that I didn't have time to look into with
you on your previous visit. We may try those,
at all events. This summer I am planning
earnestly to go into all of it and properly
file and organize it. [ Asto the Wyeth Co. people I have not
heard from them. I do have one or two photographs
of my Father in uniform, but never saw any of
his uniforms that I can remember. An old kaki
hat (campaign type broad-brimmed. felt) we used
to use in the attic for "dressing up" games I.
have also seen the revolver, belt, buttons, etc. lying
around in the old house. I am sure though and
his pictures are all in such a one, that he usually
wore white uniforms. I shall have some copies
of the pictures I have, made this week and shall
keep them on hand, in case they finally want
them. If you wish, and there is time before you
start south I shall send you some. My personal criticism of the sketches
is the same of the film by Robert Montgomery.
The tendency to make father short and Latin in
gestures and attitude is ever present. He happened
to be the only one in the Commission who knew
Dr. Finlay, therefore the introductions were naturally
made by him and he would not look as
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"puzzled"at the old man's explanations as they
make him appear in the sketches. (He had heard
the crazy and unscientific notions of Finlay time
and again Finlay was not tall, stout and
inclined to the "paunchy" like his son, with blinking
myopic little scotch eyes. The erect and beautifully
tailored old man would never fit in my imagination
with the "buggy-doctor" oculist who went around
fitting eyeglasses in Camaguez province. Who
are the sitting figures (certainly not a Cuban the
one with the Lincolnian attitude). The U. S. Commission is not too bad. Reed
of course is made bigger to command attention
and Lazear, a distinguished type with a very quiet
manner would naturally be quietly hearing
and observing the interview: Carol who was
against the thing and a grouchy sort of fellow
of humble origin and always ill at ease among
strangers would probably be sulking in a corner
And as to my Father, one of the pictures is not
so bad, the other one makes him look like a
dwarf and I specially object to the position
of his hands. He happened to have the most
beautiful hands I ever have seen in a man
but tho' they were always well kept, they were
strong and nervous, manly in every gesture and
never in the french music-master gesture [posture] he has
in one of the sketches (arched little finger et all)
It seems hard to convince Americans that a
Cuban can be 6 ft 1 inch., have dark hair, but very
bright blue eyes and a ruddy complexion. Another thing the patio-background
is not bad in itself(.) The flag of course is ri-
diculous; no Cuban would submit his flag to
such disrespect as crowding it in a corner of an
indoor patio, and he would never expose it
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except on National holidays, and always on the front
of his house (2) I imagine Finlay used to wear a Prince Albert
like all doctors then, but he would never have white
vests and fancy light pants (3) Again, guests would
never be allowed to stand, and much less keep
holding their caps (or is it a cap Reed and Carol
are holding) (4) The kind of furniture in the picture
& books
(heavy carved pieces) would never be placed in a
patio in this country (remember daily showers that
seem to drop out of a clear sky). The Cuban would
work outside under the glare of the sun and
less in those days with heavy clothes they wore.
(5) Last but not least, a Cuban might entertain
some visitors in a gallery along the sides of the patio
under roof always, in shady and cool comfort,
but we, and the older generations much less, never
considered the patio in the light of the Palm Beach
or Hollywood crowd does . That is left to hotels
and restaurants. A patio provides shady trees
captures the breeze [gives space for there refreshing sound of a fountain ] and serves as communications
for all the family from rooms, to street, to dining room.
etc) Some of the women may even bring out their
sewing perhaps, but the family never "lounges"
in it, Andalusian style. Remember that in
the old colonial houses of the type pictured,
even the horses were lead across the patio
into the back yard and stables, after unhitching
the carriage which remained in the broad entrance
hall or "zaguán". Is it plausible that Finlay receive
formal visitors, and spread out all his working
materials and instruments where there is such
little seclusion. Father expressly mentions that
Finlay handed them a glass jar with some of
his precious mosquitoes in his study. I am very skeptical (please don't feel
offended, because you certainly are conscientous in
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your research) about the general attitude of
Americans when they set out on some scheme
where costuming or historical accuracy is
required. Hollywood versions of historical
events generally dissapoint me for their
gross incongruities. Your friends of Wyeth
and Co will probably prefer not to hear my
opinion in the matter. The artist was in Cuba
last year, but he never tried to get in touch
with me while in Havana and I tried un-
successfully to meet him. Even the theatrical set up of the patio
is not so bad if the sun were not so strong
on both guests and host. Also polished
wood furniture, which would not survive
a week of our outdoors. It would seem
to be about noon according to the bright
splashes of sunlight. Never, in late afternoon
would a Cuban patio be so glaring. The sketch
with the shutter and glass door background is
much better in all respects than the others ones
The type of window - grating on that one would
naturally be the kitchen and servants quarters.
near which no guests would loiter, specially
in those days. The one I prefer has the
cap in Reed's [hand] (or is it) and Finlay's white waist-
coat, bow-tie and fancy pants and [Lazear] (who
would naturally be interested and attentive) is
too much in the background, for the one member
in the Commission who knew most about
mosquitoes. I am sure my impressions about
this will interest you far more than Wyeth &
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Co. that is why I am bothering you with
them. Hurriedly given out, at random while
examining the pictures at first sight, they
are probably not worth much, after all. Will you tell me who the publisher
of Finlay's biography is? I have tried
to get it in our bookstores without
any results and I wish to order a
copy, as I am sure most of it must prove
"interesting" to read. Charlie Finlay, Jr. is
not at all a literary man, but I have
heard he didn't write it, only sponsored
and backed the contents. So much better
for the story, because he stutters even in
writing. I apologise. I am very biting
today; but please excuse me. Please give my love to Mrs.
Hench. We are looking forward to seeing
you. Please telephone whenever you
get the time, after arriving, so that we
can arrange some meetings before "the last
day". - Sincerely,
Estela Agramonte Rodriguez Leon
. Telephone:
F-4954
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