Forget

[?]i's Leprosy Treatment

He Says They

[?]He Fear Factor

vnyone who tries to buck the ablishment has a tough row hoe—and that goes double l .he community in which the el happens to find himself is mall one. . A. THOMPSON, of Taveuni, Fiji, is finding himself in that position; but that doesn't any difference—he is deter 1, as he puts it, “to fight tooth lail to convey the truth about gai to the outside world”, kogai, of course, is the small I in the Fiji group which con the leprosarium for the Fiji British Polynesian groups. It ilways been said of it that it pleasant place where the its receive the best care and ieration from a devoted band >man Catholic nursing sisters, hompson would probably agree this view of it—as far as it , he still thinks it leaves a lot desired: and here he treads ‘licate ground and “takes on” yhole Medical Department of led by its Director, Dr. P. W. lussell. his campaign, Mr. Thompson vritten voluminous letters to >aper editors in Fiji and New ad (and to the PIM ). Some of are not published; and, when are (newspaper editors being al sceptics), the medical nity is usually given space to on the same page. arguments between Mr. pson and the people who rule ?ai now run into many mds of words; but the ial difference of opinion seems in the matter of segregation.

Medical Department takes ew that probably 10 per cent. )ple are susceptible to leprosy, osed to it; and that, therefore, i lepers should be segregated le protection of this 10 per Thompson thinks this is an oded idea; that segregation j drives the leper underground hat 50 per cent, of cases hide disability as long as possible very often until it is too late anything for them, merits or demerits of segre l are not something that can sided by any newspaper editor, vhat does emerge from Mr. pson’s letters, and the copies

of letters from other Makogai

ImMQha 8 H 1 15 the

mmates of the institution there are not just one big happy family at all.

Instead, they appear to be a group of frustrated individuals, full of worries and woes, who feel that they are not being treated like human beings and that their legitimate grievances are being brushed aside by those in authority.

Grievance Dav

A „ . , . 1 Affairs seemed to come to some son of crisis in November.

Dr. Dill-Russell visited the island because, according to one patient, he sure was sore about all the publicity in the Press”. On this visit.

however, “sore” though he might have been, he made a point of in terviewing all groups and hearin o, their various grievances.

As a result, he promised to try to do something about providing sustenance allowances for the de pendents of Fijian married male patients who, under the existing law > are forced to go to Makogai even if their families are unpro vided for. (This promise must have borne swift fruit, as the wife of one patient reports that she is receiv ing an allowance, the first in the 11 years he has been there) Dr. Dill-Russell also promised to consider two weeks’ annual leave from the island for some patients The next day, the Fiji section of

the Lepers’ Trust Board arrived 1 the annual general meeting.

This annual general meeting! an “occasion” in Makogai’s year! number of leading citizens of Fiji who give to Makogai a great deal] free time and service—visit t! island at this time, and meet tl patients. Many responsible peoj feel they do a good job.

But a growing section of tl Makogai patents do not see it tU way. They insist that, under mode science, there is a decreasing nq for leprosaria, and they resent t firm, disciplinary measures whj the Lepers’ Trust Board still enforc and which they think are outmodi

Stirred Up Trouble

A speech made by Sir Hugh Rai head of the party of Fiji visitq therefore stirred up trouble.

Sir Hugh was irritated by reed NZ Press attacks upon Makogai, ai by the apparent hostility amd some of the patients towards soi of what he regards as the necessl disciplines. He spoke in forthrig fashion—and among other things! told them that it was not so md the unwillingness of the Board! reduce disciplines that kept thd there as the unwillingness of tl patients’ relatives that they shoii be released from quarantine.

This caused some talking ai feet-stamping from the bd benches and when the meeting ai journed some of the patten gathered under the baka trees an we are informed, discussed wn had been said “in an atmospha of hostility”.

Later three patients got aws from Makogai in a canoe (a faj that was not made public for thrj days).

All of which, no doubt, can I said to add up to little more thi a storm in a teacup—unless vc happen to be one of those unfortui ate people who have contracted tl only disease in the world that r< quires you to go and live far froj family, friends and normal peopld

Patient's Angle

Mr. Thompson, of course, althoug a layman, is in the position I knowing one aspect of leprosy beta than Dr. Dill-Russell and other Fi medical officers—he has been! patient at Makogai himself.

The thing that has current stirred him up is the small item I November PIM wherein Dr. Dill Russell professed himself pleasl with progress in leprosy treatmeii in Fiji and said that he could se the disease being eradicated thera Mr. Thompson’s reply (in part) t that is as follows: We all hope that leprosy can b eradicated in Fiji, but this cai never be accomplished while th problem in Fiji is accepted accorl ing to its presentation by Dr. P. W Dill-Russell, the Director of Medica Services in Fiji.

The DMS would need more thai

n ability to come to the con n that there are 300 cases of iy in Fiji. Admittedly, there .pproximately 300 patients at it at the leprosarium at Mako- But until proper surveys by ;d staff of the whole of Fiji arried out, and the fear of on removed by changing the ig system to one based on •n lines, it is quite impossible imate. h the introduction of sulphone in 1948, thanks only to the its themselves who paid for nitial drugs after arranging importation, great strides have made at Makogai. But it is lalf a treatment that is given as drastic isolation of all and cases of leprosy does not r to modern treatment of y, and is condemned by all ;ed modern authorities. i letter of mine published in hristchurch Press, NZ, I con i, among many other things, ilmost every new patient ad l to Makogai was advanced i disease. In the reply by the [edical Department, published ? same issue, I was contra in my estimate. The Medical tment represented by Dr.

McDonald as Acting Director dical Services while Dr. Dill- L 1 was on leave in England, that almost half the new ,ts admitted to Makogai in vere early cases. This surely led that over half were ad i cases, thus, inadvertently, sufficient support to my con n.

Fiji No Different

. letter to the Fiji Times, pub on October 25, Dr. Dill -1 gave considerable details of y and its treatment according personal ideas. My letter dis ; the greater part of his as is, was not published, for a y of reasons. rote then that there are two reasons for the apparently situation in the number of admitted to Makogai. One is ar of isolation that drives the 2 underground. And the other inability of the medical per in Fiji to recognise early first is denied by the DMS states that “there is little ce of this having occurred in p to the present time”. As an lent of Makogai with an in knowledge of the stories of other patients there and of enerally, I can only suggest he DMS did not think deeply he wrote that. first death at Makogai in r as through this very reason — ictim had hidden away too This is just one of hundreds :h cases. The fear factor is ;ed in other countries. Why Fiji be different?

As to the second reason—l can give many details from my personal experience of trying for two years to get a true diagnosis of my complaint from the many doctors . public and private, whom I consuited. Dozens of patients at Makogai had the same experience. To give details would be rather embarrassing to the medical profession in Fiji, but these can be supplied.

The views of the DMS are not new. In fact, they were the general idea of doctors right up till the

last few years, when modern science proved that leprosy could possibly never be eradicated in any country by a fear-inspiring system of isola tion.

In every country where corn puls or y segregation has been abandoned as a fallacy, it has been found that the incidence of leprosy there was greater than previously believed, as the cause of fear had been removed and victims came willingly for treatment. Fiji would be found to be no different.