Pacific Health

Doctors Discuss Islands Medical Problems

\ TTENDED by doctors from all parts of the Pacific zone, the Second Inter national Pacific Health Conference was held at the School of Tropical Medicine, Sydney University, on September 3-6.

Delegates present were: —Dr. E. T. Brennan (New Guinea), Dr. W. M. Strong (Papua), Dr. L.

S. Duke (Norfolk Is.), Dr. P. J. Monaghan (Samoa), Dr. J. H. L. Cumpston (Australia and Nauru), Dr. H. B. Hetherington (Solomon Is.), Dr. A. H. B. Pearce (Fiji and Gt. Britain), Dr.

F. E. Montague (Gilbert and Ellice Is.), Dr. C.

L. Park (League of Nations), Dr. Wu Lien-Teh (China), Dr. G. Katoh (Japan), Dr. H. de Rook (Netherlands East Indies), Dr. G. A. Ryrie (Fede rated Malay States), Dr. C. E. Cook (Northern Territory), Sir Raphael Cilento (Queensland), Dr.

E. S. Morris (N.S.W.), Dr. M. H. Watt (N.Z.).

Points made by the various speakers: Dr. J. H. L. Cumpston (Federal Direc

tor-General of Health) —Since the first conference in 1926 co operation between the various Pacific territories has developed materially, with a correspond ing increase in the control of tropical diseases. The whole question of ill-health resulting from defective diets was of extreme importance to the Pacific Islands, and the League of Nations might inquire con cerning diets in territories where the natives were under European domination which were generally deficient in the protein elements.

Dr. G. A. M. Heydon—Al though there was almost an entire absence of tuberculosis in the inland areas of New Guinea, the disease might spread there with civilisation, its presence in coastal regions was pronounced. Owing pos sibly to diet and sleeping in unhealthy surroundings, the natives were very susceptible.

Dr. Strong—With a view to building up the resistance of Papuans against tuberculosis, the Administration was issuing codliver oil free to natives.

Dr. A. H. B. Pearce —Makogai serves as the central leper hospital for the whole of the Central Pacific. It was dif ficult to estimate how long leprosy had existed in Fiji, but the fact that the Fijians had worshipped two gods of mythology who had suffered from the disease indicated its long history.

Dr. Strong (Papua)—ln earlier days a form of yaws in the Pacific was regarded as leprosy, and later as lupus. Moder n methods of treatment were meeting with success. „„ Dr. Park—The League of Nations was instituting an inquiry into the value of certain drugs in the treatment of malaria.

An ‘exhaustive trial would be made undei scientific control in Italy and Africa, Br. E T B re nnan—The New Guinea Administration was planting cinchona succiruhra (quinine) with a view to pro ducing totaquina for issue to natives as an an ti- ma laria measure, Pro fessor Harvey Sutton—A paper on « Diets in Relation to Climate, Race, Work, jjealth and Survival,” told what is being

(Continued On Page 75)

done in Papua and New Guinea, and in the laboratories of the School of Tropical Health and Medicine.

Dr. F. W. Clements —The casual organ isms of tropical ulcers were spirochetes and fusiform bacilli. A survey last year of Papuan and New Guinea natives showed 90 per cent, of adults harbouring these organisms in their mouths. Tropi cal ulcers were most common where the inhabitants lived almost entirely on native sago. Where they augmented their diet by fish and taro there was a noticeable decrease of the disease. The introduction of proteins (taro, etc.) had a marked effect in reducing the number of cases.

Dr. Cumpston—An order made by the Nauru Administration several years ago forbidding natives to drink palm wine, fomented by yeast, caused an outbreak of beri-beri, particularly among infants, and it was necessary to use substitutes, in cluding codliver oil.

Dr. W. M. Strong—A handful of doctors had to care for 300,000 natives. The health authorities sought the assistance of the more intelligent natives, to whom they taught the rudiments of medical practice. The scheme had been success ful, and the native medical assistants were allowed to attend to a great deal of work. One of the Papuan medical students, Lahui Ako, read a paper to the conference, relating in simple language their duties in the inland areas.