The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-09
LONE ARCTIC MGDICO HERE.
Or. GREENFIELD rs TAKING 4 SPELL
AWAY FROM LABRADOR.

He Says the Indians and Fsauimaux Are
Dying Rapidly Ercm Starvation and
Diseases Carried TO Them by whites
Who Are Imniune-IilreIess I % There.
DR.. Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary
and skipper Of n schooner Of healing which
| plies all summer among the fishermen and
halers OF the Labrador coast, arrived
yesterday on the Oceanic He Is taking a
winter vacation while the schooner Is tied
up in the ice, He spent a month In Eng
! land and is about to make short lecturing
tour in the United States and Canada.
! The Mission TO Deep Sea Sailors maintains
| Dr. Grenfell's boat and the two marine
hospitals in Labrador Of which he is super
intendent The mission also maintains
a hospital service among the North Sea
trawlers, and the mission boat was one OF
those injured when the Baltic feet fred
into the fishing fleet. just before he left
England Dr. Gronfell had a talk with
the captain Of the fleet and the skipper OF
the mission boat.
1T IL almost charitable to believe that the
Russians were drunk said Dr. Gren-
fell, Their shooting was about the worst
on record. They peppered our mission
boat at close range for perhaps half an
hour and never hit her once. She was
injured by shell which exploded in the
water under her and which Jared her
seams.
The next morning. in broad daylight,
Russian courier bombarded one OF the
trawlers at a distance of 800 yards and
never even scratched it
OF his own work, DR.. Grenfell said;
1T Ia queer doctoring | have Canadian
and Newfoundland fishermen among my
patients, American British and Scandi-
navian sailors, whalers Of nearly all nation
alities, Indians and EsquiInaux. Some Of
the diseases they spring on me would puz-
zle n specialist. Why, last summer had
a ward full of beri-ben. Tho victims were
Scandinavian whalers. Ii cleaned out the
vessel; every man had It, and one OF them
died.
The Indians and Esquimaux OF the
northeastern continent and the Green
land shore are dying off gradually. though
from different causes. The disappearance
OF the forests, mostly through big forest
fires, is driving away the caribou. This
means starvation for the Indians. with
the Esquimaux, 1t is disease brought about
by contact with the whites. You see, we
are semi-immune TO "A great many germ
them; but with the Esquimaux they strike
virgin soil For example, | had TO deal
with terrible epidemic Of influenza last
year white sailor brought it into q vii
iage of 800 souls Before 1t ran its course
fortv-one were dead.
The Esquimaux are all Christians.
The Moravian missionaries converted them
long ago. In general morality | should
say that they rank higher than most Chris
tian communities. Christianity is Swing
influence with them; Tut for il | am sure
that they would have been extinct long
ago from the vices which follow trade
As II is. their number Is decreasing with
every decade.
They are installing wireless telegraphy
all the way up the Labrador coast. II il
now in as far north as Belle Isle, which
has summer communication with the main
land and the world. They arc going 10
put in five more stations north OF that,
bringing wireless 200 miles nearer the pole
II has been of great assistance in my work
already; it puts me within cali In case OF
an epidemic or any other serious trouble.
Wireless telegraphy Will be a great
thing for the fishing industry. The running
of the fish Is uncertain, and single boat
which strikes a school will be able to sum
mon the entire fleet So far as 1t has been
used the apparatus has worked well"
DR. Grenfel is graduate Of Christ Col
lege. oxford. and Of the medical depart
ment OF London University. he began his
work on the mission boat OF the North Sea
feet Six years ago he was sent to Iabra-
dor. and this IL his first vacation OF any
length When his schooner gets out OF tho
ice in May he will start for another trip
around the northern circuit" away up
toward Greenland.