Keep an eye
pp. 7-9 · Read in the full issue
Letters
Keep an eye out for EI Nino effects
During 1982-83 anomalous weather conditions have existed throughout the Pacific Ocean (PIM Aug. p 29). This Southern Oscillation-El Nino has been ex
tremely severe and widespread,
and considerable effort is going into studying the effects in the atmosphere and the ocean sys tems. We are especially interest ed in the birds, the flying fish and squid they eat, and the vegetation on islands throughout the Pacific.
We are concentrating our re search on Christmas Island, Line Islands, Republic of Kiribati, but since the “warm event” is a glob al phenomenon and our funds and time are limited, we are unable to gather data elsewhere.
We want very much to com municate with persons who have been in the region and have observations on what they con sider unusual events: many birds present, no birds seen, dry or lush vegetation, absence of fish, etc.
Please write and tell us what you have observed in as much detail as possible, but especially concentrating on the unusual events occurring at a specific place and date. We promise to answer your questions as best we can.
Your information will be con
tributing importantly to our
understanding of the biological
processes in the Pacific Ocean.
Thanks.
Ralph And Betty Anne
Schreiber
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90007
Usa
Counting cancer
cases The June PIM carried a statement issued by the French Embassy in Canberra. Many of the points raised in this statement are ident ical to those made in an interview
with Robert Puissant, France’s ambassador in Fiji, which was in the June issue of Islands Business. Curiously enough, a latter from the French Embassy in Wellington, which appeared simultaneously in the New Zea land magazine, New Outlook, further parrots Puissant’s apologia for French nuclear
testing.
Such synchronised white washing is of course a character istic reaction to Pacific-wide pro test against the French nuclear testing program. However, this latest public relations manoeuvre is exceptionally pernicious in its presentation of meaningless and biased statistical data. I refer in particular to the figures concern ing cancer cases in French Polynesia.
The article in PIM states: “Mortality rates in French Poly nesia are not a secret in any way.
They are in fact regularly brought to the attention of the relevant authorities, and publish ed in the local press. The main conclusion to be drawn from the statistics is that the number of cancer cases in French Poly nesia, while subject as elsewhere to variations, is in no way higher than in other areas.”
The “authoritative” Public Health service in Tahiti did in deed publish a report in the local press in 1978, entitled “Cancer in French Polynesia”. It dealt
specifically with morbidity rates
for malignant cancers from 1958- 1977, that is the annual incidence of new cases of cancer, and not the number of deaths from can cer. Ironically, one does not find causes of death listed in French Polynesian health records, though these are provided in New Caledonia. For future credi bility, the French authorities would do well to agree on ter minology distinctions bet ween mortality and morbidity are
important.
Equally disturbing is the fact that both the figures cited in the article in PIM, and the aforemen tioned report, are not evaluated on the basis of cancer rates per given age groups. The statement in PIM alleges that there is an annual average of 50 deaths from cancer per 100,000 inhabitants in French Polynesia. In the absence of age-related data, this infers a
uniform distribution of cancer deaths across the population.
New Zealand experience con tradicts that assumption. For in stance, according to the World Health Statistics Annual for 1981, published by the World Health Organisation, in 1977 80 per cent of all cancer deaths in New Zealand occurred in people over 65. The population in French Polynesia is relatively younger than in New Zealand the 1977 census figures for the territory show that more than 62 per cent of the population was under 25, whereas the 1976 New Zealand census figure was 48 per cent under 25.
In the article in PIM, the annu al 50 cancer deaths in French Polynesia are compared with rates in other countries, so as to “prove” that the incidence of cancer is significantly lower. Un less age-grouping data is pro vided such comparisons are not only nonsensical but a dangerous manipulation of public opinion.
A pertinent example of the importance of age structure in any statistical comparison of can cer mortalities, is the situation of the Maori people. Raw figures for cancer deaths, even when adjusted for the smaller Maori population within New Zealand, are lower than the comparable Pakeha figures. However, when these figures are readjusted with regard to age distribution (the Maori population is significantly younger overall), cancer rates are found to be twice those of the Pakeha. This finding was turned up by the New Zealand Depart ment of Health, and is recorded in the publication Maori/Euro pean Standards of Health (Spe cial Series, No. 1, April 1960).
There are further misleading factors in the French statements cited. Firstly, the Public Health Service report refers only to malignant cancers that have been positively identified by the local
pathology laboratory. This con
sequently fails to account for unidentified cancer victims scat tered throughout the sprawling island territory. The health ser vice does recognise in its report that a margin of error exists and in order to rectify it, an extra 15 per cent is added on. This figure
is presumably arbitrary and
hence questionable.
The article in PIM from the French embassy makes no refer ence to such corrections, and furthermore does not list a single case of leukemia. The health service report deliberately lists leukemias on a separate table, admitting that such illness can be radiation-induced, but inferring that the small number recorded makes any correlation with the testing program improbable.
In fact the report concludes that, “while the statistical analy sis of cancer in French Polynesia is an imperfect reflection of the situation, it is nonetheless reas suring with regard to the sup posed effects of radiation.”
The respected American bio statistician, Dr Rosalie Bertell, has pointed out: “Cancer deaths are a very crude measure of the health status of a population ran domly exposed to a mutagen in the form of radio-active chemic als. One could have a cancer epidemic without its impacting death statistics for 10 years.”
From 1966 to 1975, the French Government detonated 41 nuclear devices in the atmos phere. The resultant effects on the health of the population may not as yet be apparent in the selective data published by the French Public Health Service.
By the end of the decade the situation could be vastly diffe rent, but then again statistics have a nasty habit of distorting the truth.
Name And Address
Supplied
Wellington,
New Zealand
The politics of
race and culture
The biology of heredity contri butes to personality, character, while environment is, in varying degrees, the determinant of cul ture. If this were not so, then the infinite variety in man, his varied cultures, would be non-existent.
Planet Earth would be Planet Clone the nightmare world of science fiction.
To regard either biology or environment as the predetermin ant factor in assessing human or cultural development is, howev er, an attractive proposition in the politics of biology and eth-
nology. Racists from pseudo- Mendelists to Nazis have flour ished on the possibilities of biological isolationism, while Marxists, rejecting heredity as the key to almost all social and political problems, have pros pered on the simple thesis that human environment is the most critical area. In short, change the environment and you change man, as against modify biology and you have the New Man in the science of the New Biology.
In the “nature versus nurture” controversy revolving around the “extreme cultural determinism” of Margaret Mead in her classic study Coming of Age in Samoa, Mead is under attack by Profes sor Derek Freeman in his recent book Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and Unmak ing of an Anthropological Myth, a work that is creating heated discussion. But it is throwing little light on the realities of the human condition in (again), its infinite variety. For Freeman is a determined supporter of the heredity thesis as Mead (less aggressively, however) was an environment enthusiast, neither author striking a balance between nature and social nurture. This, unfortunately, cancels out both books as altogether worthwhile studies in anthropology as life is simply a matter of adapt or perish for biological man. It has been so from his earliest beginnings.
Mendel, Marx and Mead are dead. However, man is not free from fear of the reality of his limitations: in nature, in nurture.
Until such time as he is, he will continue to conspire against his limitations with increasing de structiveness to life and environ ment. Exclusiveness is just another word for disaster.
Alan Taylor
Auckland, New Zealand.
First contact with
the R.A.A.F.
During a recent visit to Sydney I had the opportunity to view the recently produced film First Contact. I was interested to see what they had done with the clips from film shot by my old friend Mick Leahy during the Leahy- Taylor expedition into the then
unexplored Wahgi Valley.
Seeing these old clips, linked together with recent film shot in the Wahgi, took me back 40 years to 1943, and to a phase in Mick’s life I don’t think many people are aware of.
The Japanese were sweeping all before them, and the “Bris bane Line” was being discussed.
I was serving in the Royal Aust ralian Air Force as 0.1. C. En gineer Intelligence, in liaison with U.S. army and Dutch army intelligence sections, and was at Victoria Barracks, Melbourne, when I heard through a member of my staff (ex-New Guinea) that Mick was in town. Knowing that he and his family had been evacuated in those desperate days with little more than the clothes they were wearing, I im mediately phoned him, and ask ed him what he was doing.
He said: “I’ve been in Mel bourne for the last three months trying to get a job in the army.
They offered me a job as a sergeant-major, but that’s not much good to me as I have a wife and five kids. I’m arranging to go back to Queensland in a few days time to grcn wheat.”
So I said: “Mick, you better come and see me at the Barracks.
I think I could fit you in here, or with the Americans.”
He was in my office within the hour. In the meantime I had phoned General Casey, C. 0., U.S. Army Intelligence, and told him about Mick, his habit of carrying an aneroid with him on his prospecting trips, his keenly developed powers of observa tion, and his superb knowledge of the country. As one of my duties was selecting ex-islands residents for interview by Gener al Casey’s staff and mine, it was easy to get an appointment.
We had a two-hour session with the U.S. and Dutch generals and they were delighted with the information Mick was able to give them. The altitude of air strips and mountain peaks were just two of the aspects of vital information he imparted.
As the session closed I said to General Casey: “Mr Leahy has come along this morning with the idea of offering his services to your unit.” The general said; “We would be delighted to have him, but how do we get him?” I
said: “That’s easy. 1 will enlist him in the R.A.A.F. and you give me a letter to the air vice marshal requesting his posting to your unit. You will have him within 24 hours.
“There is one matter though that will need to be looked after.
The Australian rates of pay are way below those of the U.S.
Army. Mr Leahy should be ap pointed at a rank not less than squadron-leader.” A squadron leader he was from the day he enlisted.
I had a number of official sessions with Mick during the next few months, when he was attached to General Mac Arthur’s HQ, then in Melbourne. It was during one of these sessions he turned up with a projector and some films in a suitcase. With typical generosity he said: “If you would like to look at these I will lend them to you, keep them as long as you like.” The films were the ones made by Mick during the Wahgi Expedition and now shown in First Contact. I had them in my possession 1943- 45, when they were finally hand ed back to Mick.
He served with distinction with General Mac Arthur’s HQ staff, going right through with them to the signing of the peace treaty in Tokyo Bay.
I visited him at General Mac Arthur’s HQ in Brisbane and found him, as one would expect, immensely popular with the staff. As far as I know he was the only member of the R.A.A.F. attached to U.S. Army HQ for the duration.
J. A. Davidson
East Ivanhoe, Vic.
Australia
Calling Orange
County, Calif.
I am trying to catch the attention of a PIM reader who lives in Orange County, California,
Usa.
This gentleman wrote to me at my former address in Sarina, Queensland, Australia, seeking information concerning Queens land in connection with real es tate, etc. He would not have been aware that before writing I had moved from Sarina to Mareeba, Queensland.
He forwarded me a copy of a
Sunday issue of The Los Angeles
Times (Orange County edition).
Unfortunately the paper and his letter were not forwarded on to me after my move, and I have just heard of their existence.
I write in the hope that this unknown correspondent will contact me again at my new address.
I know little of him, except that he reads PIM because he wrote to me after having seen my name on a letter of mine publish ed by you in 1980 in which I asked for copies of newspapers published in the South Pacific area. Incidentally, I had a good response.
A. R. Webb
66 Rankin St., Mareeba, Qld., 4880 Australia.
Who wrote these
books?
Being fortunate enough to inherit a number of rare books written during the latter part of last cen tury and dealing with life in the Pacific, I found amongst them one entitled Rambles in Poly nesia, a delightful collection of tales about the South Pacific reg ion. The author had an intimate knowledge of the whole area, particularly Fiji, its people, lan guage and customs. This book of over 200 pages was published in London by European Mail Ltd., in 1897 (price four shillings) and was dedicated to Thomas Robert Dewar, Sheriff of London.
A list of books by the same author included; Above the Clouds in Ecuador, On the Wal laby in Maoriland, From Kos ciusko to Chimborazo, Wild Life in the Pacific, Snakes, Noqu Talanoa.
The author’s use of “Sundow ner” as a nom de plume has aroused my curiosity as to his identity. That he was a “kai wai” or seafarer is obvious; he was also well-educated and very ob servant, with a keen sense of humor.
Can any of PlM’s readers tell me the author’s name?
Tui Garnett
56 Godden Cres, Mission Bay Auckland 5 New Zealand