September 22, 1975
~4-
R.Ray, AM/E&S, NV
People
The same thing is valid for bee sting.
shorten reaction and recover...
drugs
techniques,
modern
upon
depends
tend to think that effective medicine
and hospitals and that outlying areas of medical knowledge are faulty, this
is not true.
Some of the medications that are used to control odors, poultices used to
control boils, and so on, utilized by the people should be recognized and
encouraged when ~ it can be shown - that they are useful or not harmful.
Familiar practices that the patients has great confidence in are of value
and shouldn't be ridiculed by whatever medical aide or visiting doctor.
The "Marshallese Medical Cookbook" could be written in such a way as to
reserve and make available traditional remedies and treatments and supplement them - current information.
This just about concludes the gamut of thoughts that came to mind at Bikini
in December 1974.
In May of 1975, I had occasion to visit with Roger Ray.
Much to m delight
h> brought me a letter from Oscar DeBrum inviting me to come and try to help
train the medical personnel at Bikini.
JI was included in a group of scientists
who were going to survey Bikini. I was happy to get ashore and hurried over
to the dispensary area to see if I could find my*old friend, but he wasn't
there. Jaramia Lavidicus had been taken back to Majuro for additional training
and I'm sure that he was delighted and is getting great deal of help. I.
understand that there is a periodic recall of these medical aides to-the” main
hospital for additional training and updating.
My only fear for the people
of Bikini {s that Jaramia Lavidicus will be recognized to be a great value and
there Is a tendency for medical men to keep people with good potential around.
I would not be surprised to find the value of Jaramia recognized at Majuro
and that he will be retained for use at the hospital.
He would be a tremendous
value on Bikini because of his knowledge and his willingness and his genuine
perscnal concern for the people.
I would hate to feel that a man like Jaramia,
who appeared to me to be a great talent, would be retained at the big hospital
area rather than out-island where he would be of direct value to the peoplé.
Although in a, hospital situation he would be of enormous support for the
attending physicians.
I came to the dispensary area on the first day and immediately recognized that
some improvements had been made in the appearance of the place.
An overhang~
ing roof had been added to the end ofthe building. There had been some coral
brought in and squared up for a waiting area outside. I thought "well,
Jaramia has been inspired."
When I got to the dispensary I was disappointed
to find not Jaramia, but his brother Jendrik.
Jendrik Lavidicus told me that
he was relieving Jaramia while he attended a refresher course and that he,
Jendrik, had been a medical aide for eight years at different places in the
Marshall Islands.
He said that he had been at Kili, Ebeye and had spent some
time at Majuro in the hospital there.
Jendrik was an entirely different type
of person than his brother.
Jendrick's capacity to understand English was
masked by his inability
to express himself in English. I think he probably
understood far more of what I said than he indicated.
I didn't feel that
Jendrik cared very much to have me come and interrupt his dispensary routine
although he did behave as nicely as could be expected if he resented my
presence.
I believed he was recovering from the flu and not quite himself.
BbGEu dy