United States Tackles Health Problems With Realism

OVER a year ago the United States an nounced an ambitious lealth programme for the »0,000 natives in their Pacific rrust Territory of Mariana, Caroline and Marshall slands. Since then, as these (ictures show, Uncle Sam, hrough the US Navy, has een translating promises in o accomplished fact.

First step is to carry out complete health check of le inhabitants who live on le Territory’s 100 small slands, scattered over two lilion square miles of ocean, he small cargo vessel, USS /hidbey, was fitted up as floating medical centre, >mplete with doctors, den sts and medical orderlies id technicians, and began taking her rounds of the lands just over 12 months ;o.

One of Whidbey’s most im irtant jobs is to locate ses of leprosy and trans it sufferers to Tinian, lere a new Leper Colony -s been set up under young ivy doctor, Lieutenant J. . Millar. As far as the )ers are concerned, this ten constitutes a rescue as ;quently they have been andoned on small islets by fir families who fear the lease. In their new village Tinian, they live in small )ups in well-ventilated uses, enjoy balanced diet 3 have the benefit of the est drugs for leprosy atment. rhe second arm of the

Uth service is the setting up of sub pensaries on all inhabited islands, ese are manned by native health-aides o are trained in first-aid and the atment of minor ailments. Navy doc 3 v1 Elands at regular inter - S ‘ more advanced treatment called for, patients are taken to .net dispensaries which are staffed medical and dental officers; or, if essary, to the Memorial Hospital at am. (Guam is a separate US terri 7 and not part of the trusteeship), ventually, the health aides now serv ant the sub-dispensaries are to be re ’ed by native men and women who e received professional training in dental and nursing practice, h this in view schools have been set at Guam to train the islanders in medical arts, A four-year course is red. Students are chosen on the s of intelligence, leadership, charac and good health. Those who qualify . Perform the duties of their pro ions with the least possible super he United States pays for training living expenses of the students. After pleting their studies, students are d to serve as paid employees of Civil Administration for a specified od. In most cases they will be as ed to islands of their origin, ; Sydney early September, Mr. Gerald nee, of New Ireland, was married to 5 Margaret Murphy, of Sydney. The >le will make their home on a D.iaul id plantation (Djaul is off New Ire ) and will leave Australia on the •ber Bulolo.

Photographs show (top left): Yap Islanders visit their local dispensary to get nenicillin treat ment for Yaws; (top right): Travelling dentist, Dr. Aaron A. Jaffe, prepares to pull an aching too hon Ailinglapalap atoll—an Army veteran employed by the Navy, he wears in his hair a flower lei given him by his Patient . At lower left, Lieutenant Jack Millar, Navy doctor in charge of the new leper colony on Tinian, chats with a patient. Lieut. Millar has his wife an baby daughter with him on the island. The leper colony is shown, lower right. It was set up on Tinian Island one year ago. Patients live in individual cabins. There is accommodation for 100 in the colony. —Photo by US Information Service.