Come From

Where The Nmp's

Dr. Hoodless Tells Fascinating Story of Central Medical School

rERE is no finer institution in the South Pacific than the Central Medical School of Suva, Fiji. It is more than a valuable instrument in building up and guarding the health of the native communities. It supplies con vincing proof that the natives of the Pacific Islands, so divergent in racial type, can learn and apply the scientific knowledge of the European provided that they are assisted, and encouraged, and sympathetically handled.

It is fitting, therefore, that the history of the Central Medical School should be written, before its origin and early struggles are forgotten. The task has been succesfully carried out by Dr. D.

W. Hoodless, who retired last year after serving as Principal of the School from 1930 to 1946, and who was decorated for his good work. His well-printed brochure, entitled “Central Medical School” has just reached us. It should be in the library of every institution concerned with Pacific Islands records. It has a very interesting foreword bv that dis tinguished Fijian Ratu. Sir Lala Sukuna. now Secretary for Fijian Affairs.

Dr. Hoodless shows that, since the School was established, the following natives have graduated as Native Medical Practitioners:—

An important recent development was the appearance at the School, at the end of 1946, of half-a-dozen selected natives from Papua and New Guinea. These men are expected to do quite as well as the other Melanesians of similar type —Solomon Islanders and New Hebrideans —once they overcome their initial handi cap of faulty primary education.

This development is unlikely to have much significance, however. Under the Australian plan now being put into operation in Papua-New Guinea, it is probable that the Australian Administra tion will set up its own medical train ing school for natives. Lads from New Guinea and Papua should have been sent to the Suva School 10 or 15 years ago, when the value of the training was first demonstrated. But they were held back by the same kind of inter-Territory jealousy and bureaucratic stupidity that, even to-day, make co-operation between the South Pacific Territories so difficult; and the Papua-New Guinea area, in con sequence, is still, in a medical sense, one of the most backward in the Pacific.

The first Medical School in Fiji was founded in 1886, says Dr. Hoodless. But to find the reason for its establishment, it is necessary to go back to 1874, when Fiji became a British Colony. In 1875, an epidemic of measles killed 40,000 Fijians, who had built up no immunity to the disease Four years later (1878) the first party of Indian immigrants arrived, and it was feared they would bring smallpox and other diseases from Asia. It was then that Dr. McGregor (Chief Medical Officer, and afterwards Sir William McGregor, Governor of Papua) conceived the idea of training

Fijian youths for medical work. He gave shape to his plan in 1884; and the first NMP certificates were signed in 1888.

Dr. Hoodless carries the story on from there, to the time when, under the direc tion and inspiration of Dr. A. Montague (Chief Medical Officer) and Dr. S. M. lambert (the American who conducted the Rockefeller campaign against hook

worm in the Pacific) the Fiji Medical School became the Central Medical School, officially opened on December 28, 1928. No difficulty was experienced in changing over from the old Fiji Medical School, with 18 Fijian students, to the Central Medical School, with 40 students from eight different races.

It is a fascinating and inspiring record.

Fijians 179 Fiji-born Indians 12 Western Samoans 23 Eastern Samoans 4 Gilbert & Ellice Islanders 17 Tongans 16 Solomon Islanders 13 Cook Islanders 9 New Hebrideans 6 Nauruans 4 Union Islanders 2 Total 285