In January 1924, the Sawyer family left Australia, returning to New York via Ceylon, India, Egypt, and Europe. Dr. Sawyer spent several weeks inspecting hookworm and malaria control campaigns in Ceylon, then went on ahead to do similar work in India. The family, meanwhile stayed in Ceylon to wait for Dr. Sawyer's mother to arrive from Shanghai, China, and then joined Dr. Sawyer in Bombay on April 12th. In this letter, he comments on some of the minor annoyances of traveling in India, such as a pet mongoose that likes to hide in visitors' suitcases.. The "Conjeerenam" referred to by Sawyer in the letter is likely Kanchipuram, the "Golden City of a thousand temples," and one of the seven sacred cities of India, about 70 kilometers from Madras.
Copyright:
The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)