Amazing Philanthropists by Jane Rollason

Author:Jane Rollason [Rollason, Jane]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780007557011
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2014-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Henry Wellcome

1853–1936

the man who used his money for medical research

I was born in the American Wild West. I was attacked by Sioux Indians, my college was destroyed by fire and I searched for rare plants in Ecuador’s rainforest. I became a businessman and a collector. I even shook hands with the King of England.

I was born in 1853 in the American Wild West. My parents lived in a log cabin in Almond, a small village in Wisconsin where the winters were very long and cold. My father was a preacher. In the warmer months, we travelled from village to village, living in a covered wagon. Father stood on a box and preached in every place we came to. He warned people about the dangers of drinking alcohol. Life was hard in the villages and small towns that we visited. People were very poor, and often had no medicine when they were ill. I thought someone should bring medicines to these people.

In Almond, life was hard for us too. The roads were only rough tracks. My father was a farmer as well as a preacher, earning just enough from growing potatoes to feed the family. I worked in the potato fields when I was old enough. We were white settlers living in Native American Indian lands. I learnt how to survive by watching the Native Americans.

In 1861, we needed all our skills when the potato crop failed. It was a terrible time. We had no money and no food, and we had to leave Almond. We put our few things in the covered wagon and set off to Garden City, Minnesota, where my uncle lived. The road was rough and the 500-kilometre journey was long. It was dangerous too. We travelled through Native Indian territory, expecting an attack at any moment. Travellers were often killed. We were lucky, however, and arrived safely in Garden City several weeks later.

My brother and I went to school at the local log-cabin school. We learnt how to ride and hunt. It was a good life. Then in 1862, during the American Civil War, a small war started between the Sioux Indians and the white settlers in Minnesota. The Sioux were very unhappy because the white American government owed them money for their land, but refused to pay it.

After a terrible year when the crops failed, the Sioux were hungry and desperate. Their chief, Little Crow, led them to war. They rode into Garden City and other Minnesota towns on horses. We were very frightened, and thought they were going to kill us. The children’s job was to help look after the injured people. After many people were killed on both sides, the settlers won the war. In December of 1862, 38 Sioux Indian chiefs were hanged. I never forgot this war, and I decided I would work for peace during my life.

My uncle had a pharmacy, and when I was 13, I started work there. My job was to mix the medicines for his customers. I became fascinated by chemistry, and my uncle allowed me to experiment with new recipes.

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