Victoria Cross in other fields."

His life and death have most beautifully and perfectly exemplified the feelings, purposes and motives actuating the highest type of physicians: Those whose devotion to duty and interest in the science of medicine and the welfare of their patients outweigh all considerations of personal comfort and gain and belittle every risk to health and life.

A life history like this, and a death like his, reflect a radiance of honor and glory upon the medical fraternity of the world, and justify every physician in feeling an honest pride in his vocation.

Our regret for the death of our friend, at the early age of thirty-three

years, is not so much for him as for his family, his patients, his beloved science and ourselves. He is deprived of the fruits of his years of work; of the success and advancement he has earned, and of the pleasure of doing the good his enlarging opportunities afforded-but his family and friends are deprived of one whose place must ever remain vacant, and the world loses the labor of an honest man (the noblest work of God) just when he had approached the zenith of his power.

"Forgive these simple words that sound like praise;

The mist before me dims my gilded phrase;
Our speech at best is half alive and cold,
And save that tender moments make us bold
Our whitened lips would close, their truest truths
untold."

It is always a painful duty to pay one's last respects to a departed friend. That duty is doubly hard and the feelings of anguish and sorrow are doubly acute when that friend is as near and dear to one as brother. My heart bleeds for the sorrow of a disconsolate and loving wife and of a fond and devoted father and for the friendship and pleas ant association that we, his most intimate friends, have sustained in the lamented death of Dr. Axtell. He was so good, so clean, so thoughtful, so unselfish, so devoted and so anxious to make the lives of his friends happier and pleasanter.

It is not of our personal, intimate and devoted friendship of which I wish to speak to-day, so much as of that broader friendship and fellow-feeling which he had for humanity at large, and especially for those who had a spark of human kindness in them and were struggling against odds.

Dr. Axtell had a kind and responsive nature, and this made him many devoted friends. The medical student and the young, struggling physician recognized and appreciated his sympathetic nature and found in it help, which enabled them to persevere and overcome obstacles which had seemed to them insurmountable. No one who was endeavoring to make something of himself ever appealed to Dr. Axtell in vain. He was a friend of the friendless, a helper to those who needed his aid and sympathy.

He came to Denver ten years ago, unknown and knowing no one. He entered St. Luke's Hospital as resident physician and proved himself so valuable to that institution and so helpful to the attending physicians that it was not long before every man on the staff was his friend and desired to reciprocate in every possible way for his advancement.

After leaving the hospital he opened an office without money and without patients. The friends that he had made were staunch and came to his rescue by giving him scientific work to do for which he received enough to support himself. He did his work so thoroughly and conscientiously, and withal maintained his kind and genial nature in a manner so unruffled that patients and physicians learned to appreciate him more and more. For a number of years he worked early and late. If there were no patients for him to see, no suffering poor who sought his aid, he studied and worked with his scientific instruments. No time was allowed to go by unemployed.

His patients were so pleased with him on account of his kind and untiring attention and his pleasing manners that they sent others. I doubt whether

any physician in Denver has more devoted friends than Dr. Axtell had among his patients. But just at the time when he had begun to approach the vigor of his manhood and reap the reward of years of toil, and end the struggle against odds that have discouraged many another one, he is cut down by the germs that he had spent so much time in investigating. "Oh, fate, how cruel thou can'st be and hast been."

Dr. Axtell lived a useful life and showed us how much a manly man can do. His life has many lessons for us all. His friends, in general, will respect his memory and mourn the loss caused by his death. To his intimate friends, who knew all sides of his genial and goodly nature, there was, there is, there cannot be a kindlier, gentler, truer, purer friend.

Dr. Axtell was born in Washington, Indiana, February 7, 1866. After receiving his preparatory education, he studied medicine and graduated from the Miami Medical College, Cincinnati, in 1888. He served for a year as interne in the Cincinnati Hospital, in which position he discharged all his duties so faithfully and conscientiously, and proved himself so valuable to the attending physicians that he gained many friends and left the hospital at the end of his term beloved and respected by all.

Dr. Axtell went to Denver in 1889 and spent eighteen months as interne in St. Luke's Hospital, where the same industry, conscientiousness and faith

fulness characterized his work and treatment of patients, with his courtesy and loyalty to the attending physicians, that had attended his residence in the Cincinnati Hospital. After leaving St. Luke's Hospital he opened an office and began to devote himself to the use of the microscope in the study of histology, pathology and the investigation of the micro-organisms. He did his work so thoroughly in this line that he was able to throw light on many subjects which were bothering his fellow-practitioners. He was pathologist to St. Luke's and the Arapahoe County Hospitals for five years, and at the time of his death was one of the attending physicians of the latter hospital. He was

connected with the University of Denver Medical Department for a period of about eight years, first as lecturer on pathology and for the last four or five years as lecturer on renal diseases. He was secretary and treasurer of the faculty for a number of years. He was the father of The Colorado Medical Journal and its editor and proprietor from the first issue to the time of his death. His editorials were clean, spicy and readable.

On December 1st of the present year, while making a post-mortem examination of the body of a patient that had died of sepsis, he cut his hand, and from this wound became infected and

died two weeks later from the result of the poisoning.

Dr. Axtell was greatly beloved by his patients and by his numerous friends among the medical profession. There has been no one who has been more loyal to his friends, more conscientious in his work, or more faithful in the performance of his duties than the lamented Dr. Edwin R. Axtell. His life was clean, his professional honor unsoiled and he left us prematurely, just at the time when he had begun to reap the fruits of years of industry, toil and the patient study of disease.-The New York Medical Journal, December 30, 1899.

The resolutions of the medical societies of which Dr. Axtell was an honored member:

At a joint meeting December 14th of the Denver and Arapahoe County Medical and Denver Clinical and Pathological Societies, and of the members of the medical and surgical staffs of the Arapahoe County and St. Luke's Hospitals, the following preamble and resolutions were adopted:

Whereas, Dr. Edwin Rodarmel Axtell has endeared himself to the physicians of Denver by his clean life, his gentlemanly and courteous manners and his devotion to duty and scientific medicine; and,

Whereas, he has met with an untimely death before he had reached the zenith of his power, and at a time when success was beginning to crown his efforts; and,

Whereas, his death was the result of an infected wound received in the performance of his duty, we recognize in this sacrifice the highest ideal of man and hero; therefore

Resolved, that we engrave upon our records these resolutions as a slight token of our highest esteem and forward to Mrs. Axtell our expression of deepest sympathy, with the assurance that "he who lives in the hearts of others is not dead."

J. T. Eskridge,
Leonard Freeman,
William C. Bane,

F. E. Waxham,
F. H. McNaught,
J. M. Blaine,
Joint Committee.

December 14, 1899.

At a meeting of the board of supervisors of the County Hospital, held December 15th, the following resolutions on the death of Dr. E. R. Axtell were adopted:

Whereas, Dr. E. R. Axtell, a member of the hospital staff and for many years the pathologist of the hospital, has just died from blood poisoning contracted in the discharge of duty; therefore

Resolved, that in his death we mourn the loss and companionship of a conscientious, able and useful man, whose place is not easily filled.

Resolved, that a copy of these resolutions be placed on file in the hos pital records and also a copy be sent to his wife.

F. Watts, Chairman,
W. W. Grant,
R. F. Le Mond,
J. B. Kinley

From the Jewish Hospital for Consumptives.

We, the members of the medical and surgical staff of the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives, desire to express our profound and sincere sorrow at the untimely death of our colleague, Dr. Edwin Rodarmel Axtell, who is removed from our midst by an infection received during the performance of his duty. We had recognized in the deceased one whose high professional standing reflected thorough scientific attainments, who was ever conscious of his obligations as a physician and a man and was devoted to them; we have known him as a tried friend and in all, a splendid type of manhood.

We deplore his absence from our ranks as removing a real influence always exerted for the realization of highest ethical standards recognized by our profession, and especially feel that

the loss of his service to this body is one that cannot well be replaced.

To his bereaved wife we extend our sincere sympathy and condolence. Dr. R. Levy, President,

Dr. Bane,

Dr. S. Simon, Secretary, Dr. S. Meur,

Committee.

Extract from the minutes of the executive committee of St. Luke's Hospital, held this 14th day of December, 1899:

Whereas, we have heard with sincere sorrow of the sudden and untimely death of Dr. Edwin Rodarmel Axtell; and

Whereas, we remember with grati tude his valuable services as superintendent of St. Luke's Hospital, and as a member of the surgical staff; therefore be it

Resolved, that we tender to Mrs. Axtell and his bereaved family our sincere sympathy, and enter these resolutions on our records in recognition of one whose place will be difficult to fill, and whose helpful presence and scientific skill will be sadly missed.

Whereas, we, the members of the board of the Cottage Home, have heard with deep regret of the death of our beloved physician, Dr. Edwin Axtell; and.

Whereas, for several years his professional skill has been given freely and gladly to the erring but suffering girls who have sought shelter in the Home, while his unvarying courtesy and kindness have won the love and confidence of us all; therefore

Resolved, that we extend to his bereaved family our tenderest sympathy, feeling sure that while great as is our loss, theirs is infinitely greater, and we can only commend them to our loving Heavenly Father.

Mary Carlisle Hearon, President.
Susette E. Pease, Cor. Sec'y.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES,

CRISP EDITORIALS,

CORRESPONDENCE,

VOL. VI.

No. 1.

Mrs. Axtell having been closely associated with Dr. Axtell in the publication of the Colorado Medical Journal since its birth, has assumed the work of publishing this number, with the assistance of the associate editor, Dr. M. M. George.

EDWIN R. AXTELL; THE MAN.

A period of something over nine years covers the growth of a personal acquaintance which gradually ripened into an intimacy and was cemented into a strong friendship. During that time it was my privilege to learn to know him well. I found beneath the external mantle of cheerful optimism a depth and seriousness of character that commanded profound respect, mingled with a breadth of human sympathy that was

great enough to condone many differences of judgment on the part of others.

This was, indeed, one of the most salient points of his lovable character, and explains why the expressions of genuine grief at his loss come from such an extended circle of varying interests and hostile beliefs. One might differ from him most widely both in acceptance of principles, judgment of motives and decisions as to course of action, yet discussion or difference with him was ever free from rancorous spirit. He had no boundless ambitions for soul compelling power, yet the genuine lovableness of his nature, combined with his ruthless frankness of expression, at times was more convincing than many sombre arguments backed by subtle tactics. His influence among