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  • Walter E. Dandy Letter 06/09/1913

    The Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Baltimore, Md.

    June 9, 1913

    Dear Mother and Father,

    Well I can tell you this much, Dr. Halsted told me he would like for me to stay with him next year and I thanked him and said I had made no other plans. I expected he would take that as an equivalent of an acceptance without making me commit myself but he didn't and wanted to know if I would say yes. I told him I hardly knew. He said we will take good care of you and I said I knew it. He said well you will let me know soon if you don't and I said yes. He told me to cable him in London. The thing is this. I don't know how long I would have to wait. It would be at least 5 years or 4 anyhow before I was through and if I could get the kind of position I wanted I would rather not stay so long. Of course this is the best place in the world to advance and to learn and after that time I would begin else where when I leave off here.

    I feel I ought to make money and again I feel I will make more if I stay here in the long run. Certainly this is the best place in the country to stay. You are regarded as the very highest here. If you go out in a smaller town or school you drop accordingly. It is a very difficult proposition. There might be a good chance of getting neurological surgery here if Dr. Heuer does not want it and I don't believe he does if he can get something in general surgery.

    Again I have such good original work half finished that I hate to leave it. I believe it is going to pan out good. It would be the most wonderful thing done in surgery if it worked.

    I think I told you what Dr. Halsted said about my article. I think he thinks very highly of me though I don't depend much on him. He is regarded as quite a trickster. I am teaching the post graduates and ought to make $100 out of it or more. I haven't heard anything from the prize yet.

    Stocks are way down now. Almost panicky. They are as low as they were during the 1907 panic. MoPac is 27; MK&T is 18. Frisco is in receivers hands. Everything is at rock bottom.

    By the way why don't you go out in the country and live. It is much nicer and just as cheap. But that part doesn't matter. Now don't stay penned up breathing city air all the time. Presently you had better stay there over the hot summer months, certainly until I get something more definite here or elsewhere.

    Dr. Bloodgood said he would see what was in Minneapolis and Chicago, though he wants me to stay here and I don't know how well he will look. He said he would loan me money if I needed any. I told him I did not. Don't send me any money. I don't need any.

    It is very chilly today-46°. Yesterday was very hot. We have only had a couple of hot days so far. I think I will go swimming to Patterson some of these days. Does that make you scared like it used to when I was a youngster. Well I think this is all at present.

    Your loving son, Walter

    I think I will go to Minneapolis about July 15, also look Detroit over. And Chicago. Shall I go to call on Matthew. I don't believe I will.

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