South Africa
pp. 51-52 · Read in the full issue
How T.B. is Treated In South Africa
Letter to the Editor IREAD with great interest the article on “Tuberculosis in Papua” (July —mainly because I myseli have had 24 years’ experience in treat ing natives and half-castes for tuber culosis of the lungs in Africa and in places where there were no doctors.
My practice was to give a T.B. family an atomiser, filled with menthol and oil solution and see that they learned to work it properly, so that there was a good flow of mist. I made the patient place the atomiser in his mouth and then inhale deeply to fill the lungs three times.
The same procedure was then repeated three times using each nostril. This was carried out three times daily.
I found that in early cases of T.B.
the cough stopped after three weeks’ treatment and the disease was definitely overcome in three months. The cost of this cure worked out at under 12/- per annum for each family.
This method, which really is only applying a soothing antiseptic to the lung sores, has been successfully used at Capetown sanatorium for over 30 years.
I am, etc.
W. H. Williams.
G.P.0., Suva, Fiji. 24/7/40.
Commodore W. E. Parry, C. 8., of H.M.S. “Achilles”, was presented with a tabua (whale’s tooth) by Fijian chiefs recently, in commemoration of the N.Z. warship’s, successful engagement with the German pocket-battleship “Graf Spee”.
The ceremony took place in Suva Botani cal Gardens and was attended by Mr. C.
E. Pennefather (Adviser on Native Affairs), the Commandant of the Fiji De fence Force (Colonel J. E. Workman), Messrs. C. Caldwell and G. K. Roth (of the Fiji Administration) and a number of officers from the “Achilles”.