UNKNOWN

Dunstan Times, Issue 3352, 20 December 1926, Page 7

UNKNOWN

An ■“ m ,'j> ‘ "a gai island is ill g 1 eUi 1 r writi the leper sett lemc^KA^V;J^h^ t ~j|(-'i^DS the Wellington little <•<!%•('. and d site the Ia I. The day was warm: file sea a heiiealli us: and the look at. It was 11 a lunch, mi decided to ashore. Having ohtaiiur^B ,,, '.\V‘ ■ j '■■ ■'V land, we went ashore, and o \ who is matron of the. IHwereod Mother is from lh'itl^H^BHßß| spent 29 years in Fiji. the years being on the leper island. ten Frendi nursing sisters with^HßEH "There were at the time of uiHJHj some ready to lie discharged of course, were hopeless cases*— more with legs missing, many with and toes gone, some with drop-wrists. One man was horribly figured with nodules all over his face, heard him singing later, with others, ai« he had a fine deep voice. One young In’ dian girl recently brought there had palebrown patches showing through the darker skin on cheek and forehead. The doctor had hopes of soon getting her fit to discharge. There were only three white patients at the time of our visit—one, a New Zealander, soon to be discharged; one other man very had, and one young nun, newlyarrived from the New Hebrides, not very bail. The patients are given a daily intravenous injection of m.xv of the following: Oi ehanlmoogra m. 750, pure ether m. 250, pure acid earhol. in. 10. “We. were shown everywhere and told not to touch anything. All doors were opened us we approached —a wise precaution, hut, as the doctor explained, it is very difficult to get a culture, as the microbes die so quickly; therefore, it would he hard to pick up an active one by touching chair-hack, door-nob, etc., even if recently infected. “Every place was a picture of order and cleanliness. Big dormitories, each holding about 40 beds, windows and doors being covered with line wire mosquito-net-ting; administrative block-—a hospital with a, few patients in lied, a dispensary, also operating-room. A great many minor ailments have to he treated apart from leprosy. Then there is a big kitchen, with a range like they had in the military camps in New Zealand. Lots of little enclosures, where they have shower-baths open to the sky. with concrete' flours and good drainage.. “After the doctor and matron had given us a good bit of their busy time, we left them and strolled as we pleased along well-kept grass paths through the settlements and little gardens, until we were tired, and it' was time to return to the launch. During our walk we passed the church, where a. service was being field, and the singing was very’harmonious. Wo saw one fine Fijian, and asked him, through an interpreter, how he was getting on. He said he did not know; wo would have to ask the doctor. The patients have the use of boats, and can go fishing, or cross to a little island, which partly enclosed Hie harbour, where there were" plenty of birds. Also, any patient who cares to may have a little plot of Ids own to cultivate such vegetables or fruits as he wishes. We saw many -of these plots on the hillsides. "The patients who went to the service wore evidently well-pleased, and they were happy and smiling when they came away Many of them came to the beach and sang to ns as we were leaving.”