Gosiagu"

"Swonsong of the

Medical Work in Papua

Letter to the Editor SINCE we wrote you the epistle, “Swan song of the Gosiagu”. (which, by the way, you showed caution in not pub lishing, as Papuan officialdom doesn’t like such information being made public) a considerable amount of attention has been shown to the local inhabitants by the Medical Department.

Three trained medical assistants (white) have been working in both the D’Entrecasteaux and the Trobriand Groups during 1938. These men have been a great help to the villagers, and have tackled an almost hopeless situation with energy and enthusiasm.

In addition, Dr. E. Ford and Mr. Clinton (of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine) were sent here by the Commonwealth authorities and were en gaged in making a thorough medical sur vey of these islanders; unfortunately they have been suddenly called away before their work was completed.

Had these measures been put in opera tion 20 years ago, or even 15 years ago, the present serious situation might have been avoided, but now venereal disease, tuberculosis, hookworm, and other tropi cal diseases are sapping the vitality of these natives, and we doubt if much can be done to arrest the decline in popula tion. The high death-rate, combined with a low birth-rate, can have only one result.

The neglect for the past thirty years of this, the most energetic, industrious, and likeable, of any of the Papuan tribes is now bearing full fruit. So far as the “Gosiagu” is concerned “the writing is on the wall”.

Officialdom, especially Papuan official dom, strongly resents either advice or criticism; complete evidence of the con sequences of this policy can be seen in the D’Entrecasteaux Group to-day.

I am etc.,

E. W. Harrison

Sebulugomwa, Samarai, Papua. 18/4/1939.