Cook Is. Health

Dr. E. P. Ellison’s Work at Avarua

From a Special Correspondent.

RAROTONGA, January 29.

THE policy of the New Zealand ad ministration in the Cook Is. is wherever possible to utilise the Poly nesian in the Public Service. The system has worked satisfactorily in the hospital and medical services, in the Government offices, and even in the radio department at Avarua, the Cook Islands’ capital.

Tere Williams and Tu Nia-rua, two young Te Aute College (New Zealand) graduates, travelled by the last Makura from Rarotonga to New Zealand in order to attend the Government school of tropical medicine in Fiji. There these young Cook Islanders will be trained, as two of their fellow-countrymen have already been instructed, for their dip lomas as native medical practitioners. A son of the paramount chief, Makea Ariki nui Tinirau (who led the Cook Islands delegation to the Waitangi celebrations in N.Z. last year), is already doing good work in the field at Penrhyn Island.

It is part of the plan of Dr. E. P.

Ellison, the medical officer in charge at Rarotonga (and former Director of Native Hygiene in New Zealand), that these young men shall extend their ac tivities to all the islands in the Cook Group. It is impossible, for instance, for one fully qualified medical officer to visit all the islands. Valuable aid has been given by the Rockefeller Foundation in establishing this school in Fiji; Samoa, Cook Is., Tonga, and, of course, Fiji it

self, are all contributing to its mainten ance.

Important help has also been given in Rarotonga by the Rockefeller Founda tion in the installation of new latrine systems in the villages. According to Dr. Ellison the natives are responding admirably in adopting the new hygienic system. Equally important from the health point of view is the new water supply system. Everything possible is being done to safeguard the health of these islanders.

In Avarua hospital there is now ac commodation for 30 natives, in addition to two wards for Europeans. Matron Butler, who is in charge, is a former New Zealand army nurse; she received her initial training in Christchurch. The five assistant nurses are all girls of native descent, and the Matron speaks highly of their competent services. Here again is additional evidence of the desire of the Resident Commissioner (Judge Ayson) to see that Polynesians are employed in social services.

The latest addition to the equipment at the hospital is an X-ray plant, which was officially switched on by Judge Ayson in the presence of Makea and other Arikis, before he left to spend his annual leave in New Zealand.

When the Governor-General (Lord Bledisloe) paid his recent visit to Raro tonga he asked the Medical Superinten dent (Dr. Ellison) to state what, in his opinion, was the most pressing need of the natives. Dr. Ellison answered, un hesitatingly: “An X-ray plant, sir!”

Sure enough, when the application came before the N.Z. Government in due course, the acquisition of this plant was sanctioned. Hitherto native sufferers in need of such an examination have had to go to New Zealand for treatment.

Only recently one lad was sent to Wel lington hospital for radium treatment. It was his second visit to New Zealand for that purpose.

Experience has shown that the natives

respond to a medical officer of their own blood —Dr. Ellison is partly Maori —and that when the situation is explained to them they invariably lose the usual Poly nesian horror of hospital treatment. Un doubtedly, one of the secrets of the success of Professor Peter Buck in an other field —ethnology—has been due to the Maori blood in his veins. The Poly nesian will always respond to one of his own race.

Dr. Alex Price, of the New Guinea Public Service, has been transferred to Wau. With his wife and baby son, Wil liam Henry, who was born at Kokopo on December 24 last, he has now settled down in an important medical post in the administrative centre of the gold fields.