Treatment Of Disease In

Solomons

INTERESTING items from the report of Dr. Clifford James, who conducts a busy hospital for the Melanesian Mission, at Fauabu, in the Solomons: — “I have treated many of these crippled human beings suffering with yaws of the joints. They are doubled up with pain, and are brought on a litter. Yet three or four injections of ‘Sobita’ and they are walking about. It never ceases to thrill you, and I feel grateful to God that we should have so efficient a drug for so crippling a disease.

“Elephantiasis is caused by a worm which takes up its abode in the lymph channels and blocks them. The lymph, which is a thin watery fluid, is prevent ed from returning, and so remains in the limb, which slowly gets bigger and bigger. Fortunately, the growth is so slow that the patient adjusts himself to his inconvenience, and he does not suffer very much handicap. There is, however, the complication of infection.

Germs enter the sodden area and cause fever and pains and illness. What is to be done for these unfortunates? There is no drug which has any effect on the worm. The latter is far too elusive to find, and so a new way for the lymph to return has to be found. This is done by removing all the sodden fatty tissues, and so allowing the skin to rest on the muscles underneath, in the hope that the lymph will return via the lymph chan nels in the muscles. I have done a number of them this half-year. The im mediate results seem to be good, but whether the relief is lasting, I do not know. There are plenty of applicants for the operation”.

Mr. G. Russell has taken over the management of the Wau branch of Bums, Philp and Co., Ltd., in New Guinea.