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  • Walter E. Dandy Letter 10/26/1913

    The Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Baltimore, Md.

    October 26, 1913

    Dear Mother and Father,

    You will be very much interested in the news I am sending about Hopkins being the recipient of 1½ millions from Rockefeller to endow salaries for the medical department and cut down the big incomes they receive from fees. They hope to devote all their time to the school and cannot receive any fees or operate for money.

    I am interested to know what effect it will have upon me if any. The salary for the professor is $10,000. It is a big blow to them financially. Some earn over $100,000. Halsted, Barker, and Howland are the only ones affected. The others can still rake in their sheckels for a while yet. Finney, Kelly, Young, Bloodgood, and others could not afford to accept, so they left a temporary loophole to hold them and not lose their services. Halsted will accept, Barker is very hesitant, and says he can't do it. Howland will gladly do so. I don't know how I look at it. I don't care about a lot of money but I don't see how I should not soon be worth more than $10,000 which I could not reach for a long time as only the professors make that much. However time will tell how things will turn out.

    They are looking for men who are doing experimental work as I am doing. I was out to dinner with a Dr. Yates of Milwaukee, who used to be here. He is a brother?in?law of Dr. Finney. I asked him about going to Chicago. He said I should be very foolish, considering the type of work I was doing here and the standing I had and with the possibility of new changes. It is possible I may get a little salary though it is pretty remote.

    Things have moved very nicely so far for me. I heard a very interesting remark from the Professor. He told Dr. Howland he didn't pay much attention to me until he got my first paper and then he saw there was something to me, and then my second paper opened his eyes greatly. They are all talking over possibilities for new men and I shouldn't be surprised if they should eventually want me to stay. Dr. Howland was very highly impressed and thought the work was corking. He sent for me to do a puncture of a baby's brain and I was operating, so he waited 5 hours with his visitor until I could come to do it. I had been dong the work with his resident, Dr. Blackfan, but he wouldn't let him touch it and waited for me. Quite an ego, I am getting to be.

    Well Missouri?Pacific is climbing. It is now at 30½ again and is going higher. Rock Island is good speculation now.

    I think you had as well wait until Spring now. That will give you a chance to see what developments are going to be.… No I haven't time to get my picture taken yet. I will look just the same a year from now and you can see me then and won't need a picture.…

    Dr. Yates told me to hit the work hard while the iron was hot, I was young, and the prospects were so bright. So I am going after it. Maybe if I had a girl I could do more. What do you think? You had better have her come over to visit you so I can judge. Dr. Park has an English girl and seems to think they are the only kind. She is very nice too. But I am so hard to please. I think I had better see her first.

    You say you have lost weight. How much? Do you feel perfectly well? If at any time you don't, you must start right for Baltimore so I can see that everything is all right.

    You get your pictures taken. I think I will have to get a suit. I have only my $11.50 suit. I am never going to try to save on clothes again, all tailor made. They pay in the long run and look much better and you feel better with them on.

    Your loving son, Walter

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