Tag Archives: larva migrans

July 24, 1925 (Walter)

Friday Night 7/24.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I am mighty glad that you told me about attending church so much as I wondered about it, but felt that I knew your attitude. You told me just what I expected of you, as I know quite well the circumstances. I had already known your attitude, and also that of Mother Lewis. Please do not misunderstand me, Dear, for I believe the Church to be a necessary institution and I believe in going, though I do not attend regularly. I can easily understand how one assumes responsibilities which practically force them to attend. I believe we understand each other pretty well in this respect as well as in others.

July 24, 1925 (Walter)

July 24, 1925 (Walter)

Dr. White and I are yet working on the manuscript and we expect to have the final copy made Sat. PM. We are leaving for a fishing trip Sat. noon, however, but have arranged to have it typed. He is very conservative and while we are not making many changes, the fact that the arrangement is changed makes it necessary to copy. In a few instances he believes that I should qualify my statements to some extent. The Declaration of Independence was not written with any more care than that paper on creeping eruption. It gets on my nerves sometimes, but I know it is well to be conservative so as to avoid pitfalls.

I’d give anything in the world to see you tonight, Dear, and to try to tell you how much I love you. You are the Dearest in all the world to me and I can’t help but wish for you every hour or so. I pick out girls on the street who are about your size or who have hair similar to yours, and then I tell Dr. White how they compare to you. I haven’t seen any, Dear, who are as beautiful as yourself. If I make my language too sweet, pardon me, but I feel that I can tell my fiancee anything that I have on my mind.

I weighed last evening – 201 lbs. which is about the same as at Uvalde. Mrs. Garrison weighed 130, but she is quite short, and would not seem to be that heavy. If I remember correctly you weighed 124. You are just right, Dear, but I’ll love you regardless of your weight.

I may not have the opportunity to write Sat. & Sun. nights but will do so if I can. We expect to have a real good time.

With all my love, Sweetheart, and with a sweet goodnight, I am,

Your,
Walter.

Seneca Hotel

July 23, 1925 (Ina)

Thursday Nite
July 23, 1925.

My dearest Walter:

Claudelle, Mama and I have just returned from an Epworth League party given on the roof of the Educational Building and I feel like I have been thru a cyclone. The wind was blowing a regular gale, and, for one time, I would almost have been grateful for bobbed tresses. It was mighty nice and cool up there, and you would hardly have recognized the girl who was running around playing games with the sixteen and seventeen year old boys and girls as the same dignified staid old maid you expect to take “for better or for worse” (as the case may be). Evenings spent like this help pass away the time until you return. It is in the evenings that I miss you most since I am always busy at something during the day, and, although I think of you almost constantly, no matter what I am doing, the time passes more quickly when I am busy.

July 23, 1925 (Ina)

July 23, 1925 (Ina)

Your letter of the 20th came today. Your letter seemed to have a tone of relief about it which I am sure you felt after the clinic was over.

I am sorry your finger is giving you trouble. I hope it is well by now. Don’t try to take everything your patients have. You are not going to take creeping eruption, are you? I hope not. I love you so much and hope that you will always be in perfect health and will not have to suffer in any way. I want you to always enjoy health and happiness.

A few days ago I received a long letter from Mr. Owens (the Sabrial [sp?] ranchman). He sent best wishes for happiness but seems to think that, since things have gone as they have, he never expects to marry. However, I am sure he will after awhile because he will get over this and find a girl whom he thinks is the grandest in the world. I sincerely hope so and hope that he will be as happy as I am already. I couldn’t possibly have loved him as he isn’t the kind I could ever love. I value his friendship highly because it is so honest and true, but I told him a long long time before we quit going together that I could never love him. I didn’t suspect then that it would ever be possible for me to care as much for anyone as I do for you.

No, Honey, your bachelor ways, if you have any, will not worry me. I’ll love you just the same.

Your devoted
Ina.

July 20, 1925 (Walter)

Jacksonville July 20th

My Dear Sweetheart,

You will note that I call you “sweetheart” whenever I write, for at one time I asked if I might do this and you said “no.” I only wish there were a more expressive way, but I am sure that you know that I love you so much that I simply can’t tell you.

The clinic closed today and the majority of them were out there this morning. I feel somewhat relieved that it is over and now comes the follow up work, which consists on checking up the effectiveness of treatments and making further studies on the cause of the disease. Dr. White says that he has never been connected with a problem as interesting to him as this one and I guess he “enjoys every minute of it.” Strange to say we did not have as many cases from the beach this year, as last season, and before last year Dr. KS thought that the majority of them originated down there. Dr. White has some mighty fine dope on related things which he picked up at Johns Hopkins last spring; and having in mind the problem here he has fortified himself with a lot of facts that I am mighty glad to have.

July 20, 1925 (Walter)

July 20, 1925 (Walter)

If my writing is more scratchy than usual it is due to a bandage on the forefinger. Nothing serious. We have been using a treatment on patients to remove the epidermis or horny layer of the skin and the use during the period of the clinic has affected my index finger in a similar manner. Dr. White has the same trouble. It works and both of us are aware of it.

I guess we will be here during the rest of this week and part of next as we have lots of field work ahead before doing the laboratory tests at the beach. I believe that any letter written after next Sunday should be addressed to Dr. KS’s office, as by that time we will probably locate our laboratory at the beach. Maybe I can give an address down there which will give better service on your letters.

I was much interested in what you said about my letter to your mother and Daddy. Mother Lewis seems to be quite a tease, and not so much of a “matter of fact” girl as yourself. However, I love you just that way for I always know just what you mean. You don’t know how glad I am that your folks feel all right toward me, and Dear, as I promised them I am going to try to do my part and make you happy. If you were only here now, I would be the happiest man in the world. I mean every word of it. You are so sweet.

I note what you say about your chum. Incidentally I like the idea of using her maiden name as a middle name after marriage. If you like it too, I think it would be fine to have yours Ina Lewis Dove. Just as you want to, Dear, as the main idea is to have you as a wife and companion.

I am not surprised that the partnership with another family did not terminate well. This is often the case and does not reflect on either family. A house is not large enough for two families.

You have been mighty sweet to write me so often Sweetheart, and I appreciate your efforts. I know that it is rather inconvenient to get them posted so often and I had no idea I would be favored so nicely in this manner. They are always just right and I, too, read them over and over. I always get a kick out of reading them. Only wish I could hear you say such things and that I could hug real hard when you did say them.

With all my love, Honey Bunch, and with a sweet goodnight, I am,

Yours,
Walter.

July 19, 1925 (Walter)

Sunday Night.
9 PM.

My Dear Sweetheart,

It was a lucky thing that I gave you the hotel address, as I received your letter this morning. Otherwise I would not have received it until tomorrow morning. Believe me I wanted to get it as soon as possible. It was a mighty sweet one too, Dear, and I enjoyed every word. I guess I have been so interested in you and in telling you that I loved you that I have not told you much of my work.

While the clinic is new to Dr. White it is not new to me as it is largely a repetition of last summer. I believe that Dr. White had an idea that I wrote too much on last year’s work and it seems to be a check on what I have done. However, he agrees with me most every night on points mentioned in the paper. I do not believe that anyone requested him to check on me, but he wants to feel sure as he is one of the authors.

July 19, 1925 (Walter)

July 19, 1925 (Walter)

The paper will be published in full, but at Dr. White’s suggestion we are re-arranging the data to some extent. The subject matter remains the same but the re-arrangement will improve it. Dr. White has a set form in his writing and sticks to it rather closely and if he likes it better we won’t argue it. I’ll see that the data is given in full. He has one idea that we should discuss it from a point of transmission of the disease and as we can more easily claim the field from this standpoint, I agree with him. I hope to keep the problem on this ground, and with possession of the problem I believe I can invite co-operation and go as far as necessary without getting on the toes of some other Bureau. There are definite studies made by the different Bureaus but some of the problems overlap and creeping eruption happens to be one of those problems. This summer’s work may open up a considerable field in transmission of the disease which we may easily claim and get some money to do the work. I am going down the state just the same and lay claim to the work which naturally belongs to our division. I cannot say whether I’ll get to go down there when Dr. White is here as we are apt to have quite a bit of experimental work going on about the time he returns to Wash & I doubt if both of us can leave at one time. I’ll probably go down there after this work is in shape. If you were here we would go down there together and when you did not care to spend the day outside with me, you could stay at the hotel or do shopping or whatever you wanted to do. I am glad that you do like to get outside some, for we can have some mighty good times this way, when I have some scouting to do. I’ll want to be with you most all the time, for I love you so much.

I guess Dr. White is about asleep. We will have a big crowd tomorrow.

I love you, Dear, with all my heart, and I certainly wish I were with you right now.

With a sweet goodnight,

Your,
Walter.

July 18, 1925 (Walter)

Jacksonville Florida.

My Dear Sweetheart,

Gee! but I would like to be with you now. The recollections of the two months at Uvalde are so vivid and of such importance and pleasure, that I feel I would give most anything to spend this evening with you. I always wish for you, Dear, but there is a special reason tonight. The week’s work is over and I naturally want to talk with you, but I wonder if there is anything that we have not discussed that should be talked over.

We met Dr. Arius at the park a few minutes ago and congratulated him on being elected State Health Officer by the Board of Health. He was not permanently given the place, but will no doubt get it as the Board are placing him in charge. When he had talked about this, he told of the family and his nine years of married life. Said they had never had a fuss and that both of them were determined that they were not going to have one.

July 18, 1925 (Walter)

July 18, 1925 (Walter)

This interested me and I asked how he accounted for it, just as though it was very unusual, and I do believe that it seldom happens that way. He said that it was due to a complete understanding before they married and of keeping such an understanding of one another. He says that if there is anything that a couple will not discuss nor understand of one another, that sooner or later things happen to cause friction. He was not married until he was in the thirties and when he found the girl to be his wife he couldn’t understand why she had not married before then. The feeling and general trend seemed to be so much like that of my own case, Dear, that I couldn’t help but tell you about it. From what he told me I can’t help but feel that my circumstances are very similar to what his had been. I can’t see any reason why we should not be equally as happy and congenial, and you don’t know how much I wish for the time to come so that I can have you with me always. I don’t know of anything on which we have not had an understanding and if you are happy I know that I’ll be happier.

There is only one thing that I know of which we have not discussed fully, but I believe that each of us understand. I wish that my income was sufficient so that I could support you in more style, but I believe that I can give you comforts and conveniences which will make favorable conditions for happiness, and I believe that you know about them and about what to expect of me. I haven’t heard anything lately regarding a promotion, but I am in hopes that my salary was increased on July 1st. Bishopp intimated it, but did not tell me for sure. I had not asked for it, and with him I don’t believe that asking was necessary at the present time. I rather expect that it will be effective for $2600 or possibly $2700*. It is a most peculiar thing that I mentioned my salary to you when I had known you only a short time, and that we exchanged experiences we had had with others. I have often thought of it and why we did this. It seemed as though we understood each other very early in our acquaintance and, Dear, I have loved you ever since then. There was a slight tremble in your voice when you told me, and I wanted to hug you so much and tell you that I loved you. That was the time you would not even let me hold your hand for a second when I told you goodnight. It was sweet of you, but it didn’t seem just right to me then. But you were right, and you don’t know how glad I am that everything came out all right. We are going to be happy and I am not going to have a fuss with you. I’ll call you “Mama” when we seem to be approaching such a point. We will be frank and open about everything and if there is anything you want to know which I have not told you I want you to feel free to ask me. If it hurts I’ll tell you just the same. I believe I have told you most everything, or at least everything I could think of and I had no mental reservation of any kind.

Our clinic closes Monday night, and we expect to be here until the latter part of the week. Then we will no doubt go down to the beach for the rest of the time while Dr. White is here. I want to make good use of him, for it is like having a University along to have him with me. I hope that it will be possible to get him down here in the future for a short while each year. He has been an old bachelor so long that he has set ways of doing things, but these ways are good ones at that. I hope that I will not be so much that way that it will annoy you, for I want to make you happy and if I can do this I’ll be a mighty happy human.

Remember that I love you, Honey, and that you mean everything to me. I want you and I am going to try and make you happy.

With all my love,
Your,
Walter.

* Equal to $33,000-$34,000 in 2011.

July 17, 1925 (Walter)

Friday Night.

My Dear Sweetheart,

We had 99 patients today, though all of them were not creeping eruption and the C.E. were not all new cases. However, all had to have attention, and more than half were ones in which we were interested. I have no doubt but that I can go to sleep in a few minutes when I go up-stairs. We were too busy in work to know what has been going on on the outside. But I always think of you, Dear, and occasionally I interrupt Dr. White to show him some girl who is about your size, or who resembles you in some way. He now has a pretty good idea of you and he always says that he thinks that you are about right. When he tells me about his idea of a wife I usually exchange ideas with him and then tell him of you.

July 17, 1925 (Walter)

July 17, 1925 (Walter)

I hope you are feeling good, Dear, and that you are as comfortable from the weather as we are. It was so cool last night that we needed cover. Dr. White thinks the climate is much more delightful than that at Washington, Mrs. Bishopp says it has been sizzling hot up there.

This is a short letter and almost “a daily dozen” of lines to you, but I hope you will understand that I love you just as much and I want you more than ever.

With a sweet goodnight,

Always your
Walter.

P.S. I love you.

July 16, 1925 (Walter)

Jacksonville, Florida,
Thursday Nite.

My Dear Honey,

“Hell-o”

It was at the office when I went down this morning and it was a mighty sweet one too. All of them are since I left Uvalde and I look forward to them with considerable anxiety. I note with interest that you had been to church four times before you wrote this letter, but I don’t think it was necessary to “sweeten your disposition.” As a matter of fact I hope that you do not feel it necessary to go so much. I understand the conditions though, and I am sure that you would not expect such a Sunday routine of me. Please do not misunderstand me, Dear, I consider the church a necessary institution and you already know what I believe. I hope the church folks will not impose on that good disposition of yours, for that is something I would not intentionally do, myself. Certainly, I don’t want anyone else to do so.

July 16, 1925 (Walter)

July 16, 1925 (Walter)

The clinic has been well attended during the past few days, with big crowds yesterday and today. It closes next Monday, and I will be glad to do the follow up with Dr. White and then get some laboratory experiments started. I am mighty glad to have him with me, as it is almost like having a university along, especially when I can get him to talk. Most of the time he talks creeping eruption, and I like to get him onto related subjects once in a while.

A few days ago I wrote to your mother and Daddy for their permission and I presume that your mother has told you of it. I am anxious to know what they will have to say.

I love you, Dear, with every tender affection you can imagine and I hope you will not misinterpret my short letter. I am crowded for time. It is a real joy to remember when I held you on your porch and you said “I love you, too.” At that time I told you I would often think of it, and I certainly do.

I am always anxious to get your letters and you don’t know how much I wanted to be with you last Sunday. I thought of you a great many times. Your letter telling of the vacant swing, the dinner, the Willys Knight, and that you missed me were reminders of that same time when I missed you so much.

Remember me kindly to your Mama (Mother Lewis), Claudelle and Mr. Lewis.

With a sweet goodnight and pleasant dreams, I love you lots and lots and then some.

Your
Walter.

c/o Seneca Hotel

July 15, 1925 (Walter)

Letterhead from the Seneca Hotel, “N.H. Schoonover, Prop.”

Wednesday Night.

My Dear “Honey Bunch,”

Your real sweet letter of the 10th and 11th “hit the right spot” and it was a nice long one too. It made me feel ashamed of my note of a few nights ago. I have been busy, Dear, and I know that you realize it. Also I am sure that you realize that I love you so much and that I will be the happiest man in the world when I can have you with me.

It is 11:15 PM. Have just written Mr. Bishopp the first letter since I arrived here. I tried to write him pretty fully.

Dr. White and I room together and we discuss creeping eruption from early morning until late at night. Sometimes it would be nice to talk about something else, but it is difficult to change the subject.

Mrs. H & Evalyn went to Minneapolis and then to Aberdeen S Dak, their home. E. wrote to my mother after they returned and told her how mean I was not to let them come to Uvalde. She asked Mother to send the letter to Sister, but I destroyed it when it was sent to me here. Sister already knows all about it. I have not written and I don’t intend to. They had my “say” several months ago, and in a way I am glad that their plan of coming to Texas didn’t work. They evidently figured that I would be courteous and that they would come to Dallas and take me by surprise.

I am sending prints of the Kodak pictures but they didn’t seem to come out right. Looks as though the shooting wasn’t straight.

Remember that I love you with all my heart, Dear, and that I think of you many many times every day. I stop Dr. White from discussing C.E. and tell him about you. He thinks you are just right. Says he is going to get married too, but he doesn’t know when nor to whom.

I love you
Walter.

Seneca Hotel.

June 12, 1925

Jacksonville, Florida,
June 12, 1925.

My Dear Sweetheart,

I have re-read your two letters a number of times and I’ll probably read them lots more. You don’t know how much I appreciate them. They sound just like you, Dear, and they make me feel that the one whom I love so much is one who honestly loves me. At exactly this time last week we were in your car under the big tree south of town. I hated to leave you and could not help but think of coming away without you, and that was the reason why I couldn’t talk any. You remarked that it was like the first night this summer when I saw you, when there was very little conversation. The first night was one that was quite different, but I knew that I loved you and hadn’t figured out how I could get the idea across. I was not sure that you would let me tell you.

June 12, 1925

June 12, 1925

But that has been fixed up and I am mighty happy in the thought that another year you will be down here with me. You are going to like Florida, Honey Bunch, and I hope to know exactly where we are coming to live etc.

I took Dr. White to the beach last night and he thinks it is just right. However, we are going to live here at this hotel for a couple of weeks before we go down there. It is more convenient to the clinic and we will want a few days here before we go to the beach, in order to follow up the clinic cases. Last night we had been here just two days. Dr. White says that we seemed to get into the work enough to cause him to feel that we had been on the job for some time. We have been on the go most of the time, and until the wee hours we have discussed the problem. He and I have two beds in a large corner room and the problem is discussed pretty fully. I am very fortunate to have him here with me as there seems to be no limit to his knowledge, when I can get the information out of him.

Dr. White had a course at Johns Hopkins just before he came to Texas and he has posted himself pretty well on points having a bearing on our problem. He is a mighty fine man and, Dear, when we are permanently located down here I hope it will be possible to have him down here for some work with me. He won’t leave Washington for a period of time, but I hope he can be with us for a few weeks each year. He would not come as a guest, but to help in the work.

This morning the Catholic clock struck six as usual, which is five o’clock at your time, but we did not get up until about 10 o’clock. We talked creeping eruption until we dressed and shaved and this required an hour and one-half.

Dr. White was very complimentary to your photos and from my talking of you, he thinks that you are just right everyway.

This morning after breakfast Dr. K.S. and Elizabeth (11 yrs. old) came down and took us for a drive. We saw his new home under construction and then met Mrs. K.S. They certainly have a beautiful location for the new home and it is a most beautiful structure. He paid $18,500 for the lot, and a similar lot on which there is no building under construction had an offer of $30,000 a few days ago. There is a real estate boom on here too, but not as much as in the southern part of the state.

I haven’t seen Mrs. Gallagher or her children as yet as we have been too busy, but while Dr. White is reading the paper I am going over and calling on them. I am anxious to see them.

We are invited to dinner with Dr. & Mrs. K.S. tomorrow evening.

For this week and next you might address me at Seneca Hotel, as I would get it a little quicker and I want your letters as soon as I can get them. The quickest way is slow enough.

We had 38 cases of skin affections, 18 of which were C.E. during this first day and half. Before the clinic is over we will probably have two hundred cases.

Remember that I think of you many many times each day Dear, and that I love you with all my heart. I want to hear from you as often as you care to write and I am going to write as often as I can.

With a real sweet goodbye,

Your
Walter

July 10, 1925 (Walter)

Jax Fla. Friday night.

My Dear Sweetheart,

It was about this time last week when I mentioned that the clinic would be under way at this time. While it actually started at 9 this A.M. for the public, it started with me at 8:15 last night and at the time I arrived. Dr. K.S. met me and it was almost like one Frenchman meeting another (they fall on the necks of one another). He had everything all fixed and details arranged. We waited at the station until 8:30 when Dr. White arrived. Then we talked the thing over until about 11 o’clock, when K.S. went home, then Dr. White and I talked until we went asleep. We have double beds in the same room at the Seneca Hotel.

July 10, 1925 (Walter)

July 10, 1925 (Walter)

At eight o’clock this A.M. we had breakfast at the coffee shop with K.S. and I received your letter at the same time. We were at the State Health Building about 8:45 and there were two patients waiting when we got there. Two nurses and a girl were on the job right away. We had 22 patients during the day, but only 11 were “larva migrans” or “creeping eruption.” A few of them were also patients last summer and they remembered me by name. It was interesting that the cases developed at the homes under the same condition as they did last year, and it is the bunch of “repeat infection” cases that I want to study in detail with Dr. White when the clinic is over. We were busy all day and Dr. White “enjoyed every minute of it.” He saw his first cases today and he appreciates what the problem really is. It is now 10:30 and we have talked it when we were not working. He is in bed now.

Dr. White and I were guests at the Civitan Club for lunch with Dr. Arius. Dr. Arius is a laboratory man in charge for the state Health Board. The Civitan Club is very similar to the Rotary and the meeting was quite a “peppy one.” Tonight we had dinner at the place where Dr. K.S. and I usually ate last summer. He ordered the same thing and it tasted equally as well.

It started raining a few days ago and we had a pretty good shower today. Will have one most every day for a few weeks.

Jacksonville looks natural in every way and I feel very much at home here. There are lots of tourists here, even now, and the hotels are quite crowded. Dr. K.S. had made reservations for us.

Tomorrow noon we close until Monday and I hope to take Dr. White to some of the places where creeping eruption originated last summer and to verify some of the many things I have been telling him. He is certainly interested. Sunday we expect to locate a place on the beach where we can have living and laboratory quarters. Dr. White feels that what we accomplished in the work last year, stands out in a class by itself and above any research in our Bureau. It received very favorable comment from the Johns Hopkins people who are doing most of the work along this line. I don’t mean to “toot my own horn” but I wanted to tell you. I hope I can keep Dr. White for a month or six weeks, as there is no end to his knowledge.

Your letter, Dear, was the sweetest I have ever read and it is next best to a talk with you. You are so sweet, to have had one waiting for me when I arrived. It was so different from the ones I received a year ago. I appreciate what you said about saying “goodbye.” I, too, had a lump in my throat and I felt that you should be leaving with me. You don’t know how much it hurt to leave you. But there is a time coming, Dear, and then I can have you with me always. I should ask Mother Lewis and “Daddy” too, but it is about all that I can do to write you tonight.

It was real sweet of Thelma Lee and I am surprised that her feeling was so marked concerning an engagement. She is by no means an average child to have so seriously considered the meaning of the ring. It looks as though I have to walk on the hearts of quite a few in order to get you, and I only hope that all of them will be repaid with a joy which will counteract the good fortune I am to have. I have often heard that to get anyone you love, it is necessary to step on the heart of some one else and I guess my case is no exception.

But your love is something greater and grander than anything in the world to me, and there isn’t an hour but what I think of you, Dear. I wish for you every time I think of you. The thought of having you as “mine forever” is, indeed, the goal I desire more than anything else. I only hope that I can make you happy.

I love you more than I can “express” and here’s hoping nothing will ever “check” it.

With a sweet goodnight and pleasant dreams,

Your
Walter.