Father Medard, Swiss army trained...

This one is colourful, from 1934:
"Father Medard himself has got some Medical Training when servicing as a Sanitary Solider in the Swiss Army during the war. He got a Hospital Training in the town of Bale [Basel]. Moreover the said Fatehr took over the care of the Kibata Leper Camp after the death fo the late Father Werner Huber. He made all the injections himself against Leprosy, Yaws and syphilis and it was never heard that he made any mistakes in the treatment of his people."
Who signed? Father Medard himself.
By the way, and I do not claim this to be representative of the services offered in general, this is what a local Government representative mailed togehther with a copy of Medard's letter to a colleague of his:
"May I suggest that you inform him all patients must be treated irrespective of their religion."

It remains unclear what hase prompted this official to make this comment. In general, i am assured, and have not found much evidence differing from this, that patients in fact were medically treated irrespective of their religion.

Document of the day

Here's something on the question of colonial and mission medical co-operation, from the point of view of colonial medical adminstration, 1938. Nota bene, missions trained a lot of African staff, and colonial Government trained 'tribal dressers' but not medical doctors, or professional nurses.
"Coopertion between medical missions and native administration is in a different category. There is no doubt that missions, if subsidiezd by native administation, could produce, so far as immediate results are concerned, a better medical organization than existes in many places at present. .. In this connexion, however, it must be borne in mind that the function of the tribal medical organisation is not merely to treat and control diseases as they arise but that it is the embryo from which a tribal medical service with responsibilities of its own should develop."

gelöschter Eintrag / deleted

Dr. W. Müller, Mission Doctor in Ifakara, 1951-1952

Doctor Müller has not yet featured prominently in my sources on the history of Ifakara's St. Francis Hospital. Today I have found at least some documents telling me, that he was there. It seems he was expected in May 1951, (I have proof of his actual work in October the same year) and he probably has left services again in September 1952.

Many thanks here also to Father Meinhard Inauen, who told me, who might know more about Dr. Müller.

Doktor W. Müller war lange mehr Mysterium denn Person mit einer Stimme. Auch wenn ich noch kein Dokument gefunden habe, das seine Unterschrift trägt, immerhin zeigt sich nun, dass Bischof Edgar Maranta, schon mit ihm als Missionsarzt einen Neubau des Spitals in Ifakara anvisierte.

Here is an extract from the archives:
>"As regards our medical unit in Ifakara I wish to point out that in 1951, when Dr. Mueller arrived, we had the firm intention of building up this place into a medical centre which would comply with regulations and be of a real servie to the district around Ifakara. It became, however, soon apparent that Dr. Mueller would not stay and the plan was therefore abandoned, much to our regret. During next May another doctor, Dr. K. Schoepf, is expected to arrive and will be posted to Ifakara." (Maranta to Director of Medical Services, 28.04.1953).

It might also be important to say, that the Capuchin's were the only Mission that was refused Government grants-in-aid in 1953 due to the lack of services and the location of their services.
Kein Wunder, ein Neustart in Ifakara war 1953 wirklich nötig.

Documents of the day

> Are you interested in a nursing career? Think about it:
(from Tanganyika Territory Medical Dept. Circular No. 41/1951 re Nursing Training for [African] Girls, 1951)
"Nursing is one of the most satisfying careers for girls. The training which is given, in the prevention of sickness, by the promotion of personal and domestic hygiene, the welfare of children, and the care of the sick, is of great value througout a woman's whole life. Whether she devotes her time entriely to the care of her family or continues in general nursing work, she should be a powerful influence among her neighbours with her knowledge of healthy living and the care of children and so can do a very great deal to lessen the burden of ill-health on the community in which she lives."

>And here comes a straightforward answer:
(from a discussion in legislative council, 1937, Question by R.M.Gibbons, reply from the law specialists of the Territory through the Director of Medical Services):
Q6: Can a Native Dresser or a Native Dispenser perform a professional action on an individual without the consent of that individual?
Reply: No, Sir."

Document of the day

For today I have a document for you, from a file I used before in this section. Since there was no electricity today, I could not get new files from the depots, so you will have to live with this extract of "A speach made by Biharamulo African at H.E.'s Coffee Party on 16.02.1950. His Excellency is the then Governour of Tanganiyka Territory, and he is adressed by, do you want to call them: stakeholders?:
"We hope that he will do a great deal during his stay with us in this Territory to develop it in education, social services and agriculture particularly on the side of African communities who are in great meed of such developments. ...most Africans are crying for education - Mass Education - and to sum it up here we are hungry for Higher Education.. Secondly, our land is ... infested with tsetse fly and we need it to be reclaimed in order to get rid of tsetse fly so that we may get a good land for settlement. Thirdly, we require badly several properly placed Maternity Hospitals with qualified Mid-Wives. Lastly, but not least, we erarnestly beg His Excellency to provide this lonely and remote station with a Social Welfare Centre which would release the intolerable conditions which at present are being experienced by the people who live in this minor Settlement. Also a library attached th this Welfare Centre ..."