OPERATION AT SEA

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21701, 7 February 1936, Page 17

OPERATION AT SEA

BOY'S APPENDIX REMOVED

(Pa*SS ASSOCIATION WUSOBiMJ

AUCKLAND, February 6. Among the passengers on the Orient liner Otranto when she arrived at Auckland was Tristram Freeman, aged 12, the youngest son of Dr. John Freeman, of St. Mary's Hospital, London, who was operated on for the removal of his appendix while the vessel was crossing the Great Australian Bight two weeks ago. In spite of the heavy swell which is usually experienced on that part of the Australian coast, the operation was performed without any difficulty, skilful seamanship'on the part of Captain James and his chief officer, Mr Rice, enabling the vessel to be kept fairly steady all the time.

The boy developed a high temperature on January 22, and after an examination the ship's surgeon, Dr. Dickinson Priest, decided that the case was one of obstructive appendicitis. ' The ship was stopped and turned round into the wind towards Fremantle, and the boy was | .taken into the ship's hospital, where the operation was performed at 1.30 a.m. on January 23 by Dr. Priest, who was assisted by Dr. Harris, the assistant ship's surgeon, and »Dr. Rice, of Adelaide. When the vessel arrived- this afternoon Tristram Freeman was sitting in the sunshine on the promenade deck, and taking a keen interest in the harbour and the waterfront. He is progressing favourably, and is expected to regain his health and strength quickly in the sea air. His mother and his aunt are with him, and he has had plenty of attention from either passengers during the voyage.

Herds of marauding elephants have been moving down from the wild regions of Uganda and laying waste the cultivated fields of the natives in Buganda, north of Lake Victoria. It has been estimated that there are at fe*,. 20 ,- 000 , elephants in Uganda, some 4500 living in the Monga district, from which the invaders came. For 10 years they had been allowed to increase without check, but last year something had to be done. Expert game rangers were called in, and before they had time to realise what was happening the elephant hosts were driven back to the wilds with a loss of SOO. This great drive is described as the accomplishment of the year, for the increasing tendency of the herds to move into the cultivated areas was a serious menace to a prosperous native king, dona.