wood andrice bring stability to the countyy
though it has only begun to industrialize
INDIA
I travelled to Japan, Taiwan, Horlg Kong,
Sinagpore, Malaya and Indonesig.
From Indonesia I went to IMdia and saw
Banares, the “holy city”, where Hindus
make their pilgrimages
© bath in the
Ganges, and where Buddha preached his
first sermon. On sidewa/ks and streets among
ye
the crowds the sacrefl cows moved undis-
ae?
with the deadly sea snake whose bite means
almost certain death. (hough fishermen are
constantly sorting these snakes from their
daily catch, surprisingly few victims appear
for treatment. The sameis\true of the cobra,
krait, and Russell’s viper
Which are numer-
ous but infrequently encountered
beaten path.
on the
behind I
rounded by
fléw to Kathmandu, Nepal surthe lower slopes of the Himala-
ya Moufitains at an altitude of 4,400 feet
above/Sea level. The quaint life of Nepal has
not /oeen disturbed much by the outside
wetld and along the streets the mountain
people come and go carrying their heavy
load of produce on their backs for sale in
the markets. The grass-roofed houses, the
“BOMO”
Among the Muslims the local medicipeman or “bomo” practices folk medicine/and
some witchcraft too. The Saiburi déstors
(3) were on good terms with one borno
turbed. An occasiogfal camel slowly carried
his burden of grain along the street and
everywhere pegfle were peddling bicycles.
Leaving the’ temples and Hindu pilgrims
who
brought all his difficult cases to tHe hosp
tal for treatment, escorting his patients into the examining room and on/to the treat-
ment room.
GENERAL CONDITIONS
While 7 weeks were gpent in central Thailand only 2 were spent in the South. As I
reflected upon the géneral conditions of the
country before leaying, it was apparent that
the Thai were
9/contented people. They
have sufficient/food and adequate shelter
though the standard of life and prosperity
is far behind our own. Though the food
supply is adequate the basic dish is polished
rice; consequently in a land of abyndant
food avitaminosis still is common. In sanitation fa great service was done Thailand
during the Japanese occupation, for they
insjsted on the installation of septic tanks
which improved sanitary conditions considérably. Economically the exports of teak
palace square of an old Muila kingdom, and
the characteristics of these friendly moun-
tain people all made Nepal one of the more
fascinating stops of the summer.
Returning to India I visited with Dr. Edwin Brown, a former professor in the Tufts
Preventive Medicine Dept. and now a visiting professor at a medical school in Hyderabad,
From India, the stops were few and
brief\before returning to my fourth year at
‘Tufts.
CONCLUSION
From tha experience of the summer,
my own perspective of the medical needs of
Asia has greatlyexpanded and as I prepare
to serve as a mewical missionary it will be
with renewed zeal\and deeper insight into
the practical skills reyuired for remote medical practice.
One cannot see the masses and needs of
the East and remain unmoved. These millions for whose loyalties Me great powers
are struggling present a medical challenge
of giant proportions. Perhaps, there will be
some from our own generation who will take
a second look and meet the challenge.
ra
November, 1962
25
at,
eamawe” ate
|
$
Sy Lae ap ge Silene
IE
ape
net
Leprosy patient
on his Elephant.