Letter from Henry Rose Carter to Chauncey B. Baker, September 27, 1924

The West Moreland
2122 California St N. W
Washington D. C
Septem 27/24
My dear Doctor Baker:

    It was a pleasure to get your
note of the 18 inst. rec'd yesterday and
I could almost see "Miss Baker" telling her
"little tory bout me".

    I knew that your son was at Oxford. I wrote
you when he rec'd the scholarship. From
Osler's account there were far better
places to study medicine than Oxford
wd at the time he went there as
Regins Professor. He was trying to in-
troduce changes in both methods & cur-
riculum when I last saw him.

    Yes I am down & but for Laura would be
out, I retired: went on the retired list, on
July 20/192 . May 5 1920 at the end of 41
years [active] service. I was due the previous year
but was kept on on account of the War. I
went then to Peru, (Indeed went down in Feb-
ruary on leave without pay status) & stayed
there as Consultor Sanitario for 22 months

    Last Fall. I was doing some work for the
Aluminum Company of America- ma-
king a malaria-survey of our of a large
pond of one of their hydro-electric plants
in N. Carolina when I had an attack of
Angina Pectoris & lay 13 hours under
a dog-wood bush before I could get
any nitro-glycerine, This was the 3^d of
August - & I stayed in hospital there
(at Badin N. C.) until Oct 8- having
two other attacks in the interior: Thence to
Hopkins where I stayed until Novem 15.
Thence one here, where I was confined
for 3 1/2 months to bed & then to one floor to
July 10: Then I went to Kingston Jamaica
to attend the Conference of Tropical
Medicine

    I stood the trip well. was carried aboard
ship in a chair - as I had to give a promise
not to go up more than 3 stair steps-
but once aboard I minded the ship
no more than I would a hotel, although we
caught the tail end of a hurricane on
our return - off Cape San Antonio.

    I am down & can do no more field work. &
but for Laura's help could do no more of any
King. I am, since Jan/22, supposed to be
writing a history of yellow fever for the
Internat'l Health Board (Rockefeller
Found'n), but have been abable to do very-
little on it since my attack. I have a-
bout 25 lbs of notes still to write up, but
in addition have to go to the Congressional
Library for data, lacking from time to
time

    It

    5

    It is not only with past things I have been
occupied however, I am consultant
for the I, H. B, in all matters connected
with yellow fever work- You know that
they have untertaken a campaign to,
if possible eleminate this infection
from the Earth. This is a magnificent
conception &, while I will not live to see it
done, yet there is a fair possibility [prospect] of its
success & I thank God, & am proud that I
had a hand in its inception & have
borne my part in its the work for
its instution. But for the problem
that Africa sets us. I would have
written "certainty" in place of "fair
prospect prospect" above, I offered, &
wanted (recommended myself) to take
charge of the work in West Africa.
when I got back from S. America in 1922
but was not accepted on account of my
physical condition. I judge that it
would have killed me. but if I could
have had 12 months life there or even 9
months

    I am very ungrateful however- A
man who has been able to do field work
to with in 21 days of his 72^d birth day &
work of some value, though less, after
his 73^d surely cannot complain that
the good Lord has not given him
time enough on earth to do all requir-
ed of him, or all that he could claim that
he had a right to do, & I am thank-
ful & grateful.

    One thing only I have the highest rest-
pect for the late David ben Jesse -
as a part & a pious one. but he is all

     My fundamen The Rockefeller people
tell me that I should have begun the
history earlier- I could not have done so &
cleaned the West Coat of South America,
Péru

    I am however content with the life I have
had & thank God for the opportunities,
& the inclination, He gave me to do
do work useful to other men.

    This is a rather crazy letter & you
think I am a little senile- It is sure-
ly garrulous enough; yet I have not
written to an old friend for so long
that this should be a partial excuse
for it.

    Commend me to Mrs Baker & to Mrs
Waller - that was my little "Miss Baker
- Helen was her name, & to Gerathmey &
to old Field, Take much love to your
self whom I have always held as es-
pecially my norfold friend - nay Friend
with a capital F.

Very sincerely
your friend

H. R. Carter
To pharaphrase a much greater man "you