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BY
JOHN BRUCE MacCALLUM
Late Assistant Professor of Physiology in the University of California
BERKELEY
THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
1906
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The following pamphlet was completed only a few days prior to the deathof the author, which occurred on the sixth of April, nineteen hundredand six. Through his death Physiology was robbed of one of its mostbrilliant young investigators.
John Bruce MacCallum was born in Dunnville, Canada, on the eighth dayof June, eighteen hundred and seventy-six. Through the influence of hisfather, Dr. G. H. MacCallum, now Superintendent of the State Asylumat London, Ontario, his interest in the natural sciences was earlyaroused and during his college career at the University of Torontoas much of his time as possible was devoted to these subjects, butchiefly to biology. After his graduation in 1896 he entered the MedicalSchool of Johns Hopkins University. Under the influence of ProfessorMall he undertook during his first medical year an investigationon the histogenesis of the cells of the heart-muscle, and it wascharacteristic of him that he began his work in pathological anatomyalso with an original investigation. During the third year of hismedical course he again prepared several anatomical papers and at thesame time assumed the burden of the proof reading and of preparingthe index of Barker’s book on Neurology. It was during this year,1898-1899, that the first symptoms of the disease appeared which wasto cut short the life of this talented, indefatigable worker. Fromthis time on he was constantly handicapped in his work by the struggleagainst illness.
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After his graduation in medicine in nineteen hundred he returned toBaltimore as assistant of Professor Mall. In nineteen hundred andone he went to Leipzig to work in the laboratory of His, but his oldenemy again interrupted his work, this time attacking him in the formof an affection of the apex of the lungs. He returned home as soon assufficiently recovered to bear the journey, and upon the advice of Dr.Osler he spent the winter in Jamaica. During this period he translatedand edited Szymonowicz’s histology into English.
The condition of his health made it impossible for him to live in theEast and in the autumn of nineteen hundred and two he went to Denver,“where he rented an office and tried to practice. He abhorred thelife, though, and held in contempt the charlatans with whom he camein contact. There were patients and he made enough money to pay hisexpenses in the few weeks he was there, but the repugnance to thatkind of life was too great, and he abandoned his practice. They hadmade him teacher of anatomy in their medical school, in charge of thedepartment, I believe. The students were difficult to manage—theirideals being far different from his.[1]” The bright spot in his life inDenver was his association with Dr. Sewall, the former physiologist.
Having accepted a call to the University of California, I offered Dr.MacCallum a position as assistant in physiology, and we began ourwork here together. During the first and second years his health wastolerably good, but in nineteen hundred and five he undertook a problemon immunity which was beyon