Q:
In January and February 1929 two students (Norman Wold and Norman Holm) died of rabies at the school. Subsequently, according to the book, all of the students were given the Pasteur treatment as a precaution to inoculate them. The Pasteur treatment involves a rather unpleasant series of 21 to 25 subcutaneous injections of progressively stronger viral extracts. Did my Dad and Hank get these injections? If you were at the school, did you?
Cheers,
Bill
A:
I remember the rabies matters well, my closest friend, Norman ? next to David Edwins my closest friend, came down with the rabies and died as did Norman Wold, about Henry's age some weeks later.. The dog that infected them, and a playmate dog of mine and all the ASK kids, was identified as the source. A first review of the rabies was in Hankow and negative I believe, so Norman went not diagnosed for some weeks -- I visited him regularly. Another older ASK student of high school age (Norman Wold ??) also got rabies and died. Finally the dog was killed and the head amputated and sent to "Shanghai for analysis. Our entire school population. including Gerhard, Henry and Arthur, was vaccinated for rabies,-- some 25 daily shots in the stomach -- the appearance of our stomachs was a sight to see but the injections went on regardless and there were no further patients!
Art
I recall a bit more on the rabies matter. We called the disease "hydrophobia". When Norman Holm my contemporary was ill his nurse brought him some water. He told her he couldn't drink any but not to tell his mother or she would know he had hydrophobia. Also, Dr. Skinsness diagnosed the disease and put the entire school on shots for rabies some time, weeks?, before the confirmation of the diagnosis delivered by Shanghai medics based on the dog's head. Shanghai at that time, no airplanes, was a river boat trip of 5 days or so -- there was telegraph for communication however.
Art