POLYNESIANS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 10, 12 January 1929, Page 17

POLYNESIANS

WELFARE OF NATIVES

HOW CONFIDENCE IS WON

(iUOD WO UK J)Oi\K

Amid the bustle am' stir or' civic life nnd the moro,:immediate calls of our own affairs, it may bo well-to devote .a;fe\v. moments, to. considering some-of ■the problems with which those in auth"ofj'ty" havo been confronted in "dealing ':with the health--of the Natives of. this .country: and of its scattered dependencies iu'-thcPncinc. in the Cook Island and- Niuo' there' is a population of 14,----:000," and- in.Samoa. 40,000— Polynesians, the sanic raco as the .Maori. Native tradition- arid the 'vast, distances between', the island" groups have added to 'the difficulties'" of. dealing-'.with the diseases which: some years ago were decimating the natives. A great deal cannot bo done if the responsible officers, have not 'the foresight," initiative, and cour-tage-to lay down and carry out a wise •policy; for, as the Maori aptly says, .'■'lf the root is .dry, the leaves .will .'wither,'.' It was fortunate when the . question of dealing with leprosy arose that-the .Minister of the Cook Islands ..(Sir.Mfiui Pomare) had tho. vision to co-operate with Fiji in establishing a leper station at Makogai Island, to which all the lepers in the-.South Pacific Island groups anTboing sent for medical icare and treatment. 'The .subsequent transportation' of some ... twelve lepers, .i'rpm the' Dominion, and . numbers" from Niue, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook group was successfully carried put; ..: These lepers, with those from I'iji, now total about 450, . including about 50 children. The percontago of cures has. been astonishing, .and that percentage should;increase as",incipient cmcs My in tho future be detected and transferred to Makogai. In former days, lepers were only partially segro-gafed':on-rtieir own islands, and receive/! indifferent and irregular treatment on tho';:smaller atolls, from which' they .sometimes; broke .'bounds and .visited Ihoir relatives and friends,.thus helping to spread the-disease. Now they aro segregated at Makogai, where they live under almost ideal conditions and re-' eqive export medical attention and nursing: care. Time has shov.n the wisdom of: this .policy both from a humanitarian and. an. economic point of view. , A similar success has attended, the efforts of tho■■■;Government in combating another fell 1 disease—hookworm. Dr. Lambert, representing the Rockefeller-Foundation in "the South Pacific, several years ago. made a" health survey of the various island groups, and after reporting most favourably, on,the work of tho local medical officers, further steps were re.commended for stamping out the.disease. This disease, under ystematic and improved conditions, is ■■ w being successfully dealt with in t; islands. .These beautiful tropical isle, are becoming lnore.andmoroa vei'i:;::;]e paradise, as described by E. L. -.Stevenson, and the health and conditions of life of the handsome, and naturally law-abid-ing natives have been vastly improved.

NATIVE MEDICAL. SCHOOL. .^ EccogJiising the principle that credit should bo given whero it is deserved, mention should be made of the successful start of the Nativo Medical School at Fiji on lines recommended -by Dr. Lambert. To that institution a number of- selected youth's from the different island, groups arc'being sent to receive three years' tuition in tho essentials of tropical medicine, and after completing their term .they /will' return; Jo.....th.eir island homes,.,where .their 'medical ser,vi«es;willl)'.c ; utilised .by -the. Administration 1. -Several, students, have already gone to.-the medical school from the Cook 1 Group and Samoa. A somewhat similar system is iv. operation in Fiji, and a number of native medical practitioners are doing good work. Dr. Lambert had: a native assistant, and spoke in tho highest-terms of hia ability. Dr. ;Lamb*ert .lias shown an--.innate", knowledge of the native mind in advocating ■the' extension 'of this scheme throughout the Tolynesiaifislands of the" South Pacific; ■:" 1/ -. ■ In the Chutham Islands tlicro are numbers of the itw.o races, Maori and ijakcha, engaged side by side in pastoral and;- fishing' pursuits, and developing tiicso:'Uttle-k'noWn but J)roductive isli'mdSi'" -A' cottage liospital is at their service,--arid''a wireless station keeps them in touch with.tho world.. It, may fairly be claimed that in the Pacific .islands the .confidence of the natives in the Administration, is most frequently based on the benefits they derive from medical and surgical treatment: ; An. instance of this may be mentioned.

EAGERNESS FOR TREATMENT. ■ pr.; E. P.' Ellison, Director'of .the Division of Maori Hygiene, Health Department, who has had wide experience id dealing with the native people not jpnly of this . country, but also of the South Pacific islands, states that during his residence in Niuc Island it was a common occurrence to have from CO to 100 or more out-patients, the majority of whom had come on foot distances up to 12 miles often for minor complaints. Together with another medical officer, ho carried out mass treatment for hookworm throughout the group. As an" instance of the Keenness of 1 tho people, it' may be mentioned that at Pukapuku, one of the upper Cooli Group, with a. population of about 500,'0n arrival of the schooner, the people literally flocked round the doctor for .treatment. This being one of the outlying islands seldom visited by a medical officer, one could quite understand the curiosity; and desire of ■ the natives to seelc treatment other than, that which they were accustomed to receive from their own "medicine men." Incidentally, they were subjected, in the 3G hours available, to mass treatment of the wholo community for hookworm and round-worm; and, following on thi3, after an. interval, the same community was mass treated 1 for yaws. It may be explained that,hookworm brings about a severe ahaemiaj a consequent lower- ' "cd.'rOsi ?ta,nce, andhas contributed to tho past high' Mortality rate. . It has been observed that following the elimination of tho worm tho general health of the pa tic'nts. is" improved. ■ The benefit of the 'treatment is soon apparent to the natives. One result of tho mass treat--ment is a distinct-diminution in asthma cases; and another featuro, is tho subsequent increase in the birth rate. In order to avoid delay in the movements of the schooner, the treatment for yaws was carried on until the early hours of the following morning. This is a striking instance of-the trust of the native, people in what is being done for them,, and their strong desire to get medical ■..attention;- Such a-.scene .was typical of medical visits to other outlying islands. WORK OF HIGHEST VALUE. Now," coming 'nearer home, to the Maori people. As time passes, the economic phase becomes more and more evident.-' A Maori likes to live well, in fact he is" often tempted to live beyond his means. - Speaking generally, al- ; though perhaps it is not fully realised, tho Maori is an asset to the country, materially assisting in the progress of the Dominion; in truth, ho has become n factor, the amount of, whose contribution'to'tire'welfare of the country it •■>is""diffl4ult 'to assess. ••' , '■' . , Tho reports of; the Health D'epart...meiit.'sho.w'that thehealth of the Native peoplo has' improved during recent yearsi .This has been brought about mainly by better living conditions. There arc twenty health councils and

200 yillage committees, constituting an organisation of over 1400 Natives, ever ready tn r.ssi.st; i- any . emergency or cause -which, the. Health ■ Department may think necessary. Most of these bodies: consist ■ of the 'more enlightened Natives, .and they: are a valuable asset, especially, in .dealing, with any serious epidemic. ,; .•■:!■" : ,

. In, ,1-egard -to the medical work amongst the: Maoris, Dr. Ellison, states that .during recent years -typhoid, which once -tookrheavy. toll ■of Native life, fspecially:in the Auckland.and Bay of Ploiity:.districts,.'is now almost uoii.existenl..;, This.is. due. < partly to imliro.ved sanitation, but chictly to inoculation; '.The 'present outstanding cause .of many deaths is tuberculosis, and a sincere endeavour is being made to lessen tliis : scourge by, the : giving of lectures and-advice' In,this work the district nurses and school medical and nursing staff co-^p'erate;:but a great deal more intensive work is needed, to ascertain the number of incipitnt cases, and thus ensure, early treatment' at the right time. „. - ,'. '...' ' ■ .'-

■The■medical- officers of the Department report that the: work of the district health : .nurses (twenty-three in number) is of the highest value. These nurses should'not, it is urged, be regarded as haying to attend merely to individual cases of sickness; they are health-.instructors'.who teach practically as well as theoretically. Kach case treated in the r village is a'practical demonstration,of" what'should be done. All the Maoris in their district form their special charge, and time and again they act as health inspector and medical man, as well as nurse. Herein lies their great value; they are part of a movement'in the ; forward inarch of a people who.have much ground to make up. Numerous instances havo been quoted by:medical authorities of the value-of the tvb'Hs of tlie.se nurses'.in thebackblocks. -