Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-11
SERIOUS OBSTACLES
Difficulties Confronting Medical Mis-
sionaries in the Orient
IN DEALING With TIE NATIVES
Methods Of Treating Disease That
Prevail in Turkey.
WHATEVER IS is RIGHT

Written for The Evening Star by Cleveland Monett.
One of the most important features OF
American missionary effort in Turkey is
the work done by American physicians in
overcoming the superstition and prejudices
that are almost universal in the country re-
garding the cause and treatment of disease
The popular belief on the whole subject
may be summed up thus: The cause OF
disease is Gods will, the proper treatment
of disease is to let it alone, since meddline
with it shows distrust in Gods wise gov.
eminent. Thus if a Turk has smallpox he
goes to bed and waits to see whether he is
to die or live, he puts his trust in kader
fate, and not IN pills or lotions. And his
family and friends would think it un-
worthy of a good Moslem to shun the sick
man or TO set him apart; if others are tC
take the disease, well and good, it is sc
ordered; that is the business of kader
The consequence is that wherever you go
IN Constantinople or the interior, you see
many pock-marked faces and constantly
hear OF smallpox about you.
An American missionary told me of an
experience OF his in Caesarea that illus
trdIeS the condition of things all over the
country He was invited TO address a
prayer meeting one night, held in an Ar
menian house, and did SO in the presence of
a good number of men and women. After
the exercises he noticed two children bum
died up on divan, where they had been
lying, unobserved by MIN, during the pray
ers and preaching.
what is the matter with the little ones Y'
he asked. going near them.
They SICK" said the mother
On turning back the yourgan the mis-
sionary saw at a glance what the illness
was.
They have smallpox" he said.
Ns.sf a haar
But you have exposed all these people
TO the contagion. Don't you know that
they may get the diseaseg'
True Oriental Philosophy
Who knows?' replied the woman, with
true oriental philosophy. This happened
among Christians, Armenian Protestants,
VINO, nevertheless, are more enlightened in
these matters than the Moslems. And
among them ii Is encouraging to note there
mas been much progress, thanks to Ameri-
can influence and every year increasing
numbers OF them are coming to be vacci-
mated But IL Will be long time before
the Turks will trust a competent doctor
rather than kader
There are Thousands of villages in Asia
Minor where there is no one who even
makes pretense of thorough medical knowl-
edge. the whole business of healing the
sick being left to the women, with their
herbs and balsams, and to fate. On our
journey over the plains we came to one
village where there was an epidemic of eve
disease. a form of ophthalmia with swell
ing and discharge that causes great pain,
and, unless properly treated, endangers the
sight.
No sooner had we entered our khan than
several OF the sufferers came to US in deep
est distress and begged that we do some
thing for their relief. A lotion of zinc sui
phate or some other simple remedy might
have saved the situation, but We had none
hon nd all nisyht Inpe
awake by the weeping and grooming about
u.s. Wherever travellers go in the interior
they are appealed to by the natives as if
they were doctors. the general idea being
That any man with European hat is COM
petent to treat all bodily ailments from
toothache to scarlet fever.
Virtues of IN ExgsheII.
And yet the task of the physician in Tur-
Key is not an easy one. for lie finds working
against him not only this discouraging con-
viction of the people that whatever is must
be, but their oft-proved preference for tails
mans and superstitious practices to any
medicines he can give them. How can one
deal scientifically with people who regard
this as the proper way to treat baby
suffering with anything from Group to
stomach ache: First. get a hens egg then
make seven round holes in the shell and
empty out the contents through these
holes. Then dip the perforated eggshell
under water. and lift it quickly over a
basin sc that the water ii holds will STREAM,
into the basin Repeat this operation thir.
ty-nine times until the basin has received
fcrty shellfuls of water streamed through
the seven holes Finally. wash the sick
baby in the basin thus filled and there IL
nothing more to be done or course the
death rate among children Is depIorably
high. but that does not change the peo-
pies belief.
And consider the following treatment for
N I'D
uts. A man afflicted with Jobs comfort
ers starts confidently down the road fling
ing over his shoulder nuts or raisins. and
never looking behind him though the city
Picks up one Of the nuts or Iaisins from the
roadway will take with IL one of his boils II
will be seen that the blending of science
and charity in this proceeding gives some
the common method of curing fevers-or
trying to cure them-by getting some wise
Old Armenian to bind the patients wrist
with cotton cloth. This is supposed to bind
the Fever at the same time and render 1t
harmless.
Shocking Menace to Health.
The missionary doctors in Turkey find
another serious obstacle to their efforts
against contagion In the method of distrib-
uting water to the various houses that is
IT. operation In many cities and villages.
The water supply usually comes from a
spring or stream ON high ground near the
city, and this water. when needed in one
section or another, is simply turned down
this street or that. its course being regt-
lated by temporary dams, and for hours
II will flow down certain set of streets
and is at the disposition Of residents In
that vicinity. Some hasten to wash their
clothes In IL. others fill earthen jars with
II, while those who have wells direct part
Of II into their mouths, which are set on
the pavement covered with fat stones
Owing to this arrangement II will be seen
that the wells are filed with water which
has run unprotected along the public streets
where donkeys and bullocks are constantly