Field Trips
The system of field trips from civil administration headquarters
continuedto be the administration’s only meansof contacting the outlying islands on a regular schedule. Naval Medical Corps officers.
Hospital Corpsmen and indigenous health aides from the dispensaries
were always part of each field trip group and, when ashore. inspected
the subdispensaries on field trips, attended to patients beyond the
capabilities of local health aides, immunized the population against
typhoid fever, tetanus and smallpox, instructed the health aides in
health measures and maintenance of medical records, and replenished
the medical supplies. If possible, the dentist also accompanied the
field trip party, but because only one was assigned to each district, his
presence was more the exception than the rule. Patients who needed
hospital care were taken to the district headquarters by the field trip
vessel andeither treated at the dispensary or sent to Guam or Tinian
if their particular illness warranted more specializedcare.
Field trip vessels visited the islands once each three months and
usually stayed only one day at each port of call. The time that the
doctor and dentist had ashore, therefore, was too brief to do more than
make a quick survey of the health and sanitation situation. In an
attempt to improve this procedure, the administration, in the fall of
1950, instituted “administrative-medical field trips” so that more complete assistance could be given in solving the varied problems of the
outlying islands." Two such trips were conducted by the Navy: the
first, to Woleai and Lamotrek in the Palau District, during November
and December 1950 for a period of four weeks:the second, to the
Mortlock Islands in the Truk District during January, February and
March 1951 for eight weeks.”
The medical aspect of these field trips was designedto give follow-up
medical and dental care in relation to the conditions as reported by
the USS WHIDBEY and,as such, established a procedure for implementation of the health survey. The teams were sent into the field
with sufficient allotted time to examine and treat all natives. conduct
_on-the-island observation and training of healthaides, correct deficienSupra, p. 365 H.
a MiComTerPacls ltr ser 2040 dtd 3 Nov 50.
* FicldTerPacls msg of 18 Dee 50,
896
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