Letter of the Day: February 24

Curatorial Records: Numbered Correspondence 02047

February 24, 1897

Captain W. C. Gorgas,
Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Fort Barrancas, Florida.

Dear Doctor:

The very small fragment of warty growth from beneath the tongue of Commissary Sergeant Kieffer, has been received and examined microscopically. While a larger piece of the tumor would have enabled us to arrive at a more positive conclusion, I feel quite safe in saying that the microscopical structure of the aforesaid small fragment is that of a mixed cell sarcoma having a dense fibrous capsule.

A slide containing two or three small sections is sent to you by this mail.

Very sincerely,
Walter Reed
Surgeon, U.S. Army,
Curator