The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1919-05-25
MEDICAL MEN
ARENEEDED AS
MISSIONARIES
Vision Was Restore dto TO-
900 Last Year in Nom
Christian Lands Says
Methodist Report.

New York. May 24.-vision was re-
stored last year to the prInd eyes OF TO-
600 men. women and children in nom
Christian lands by medfcaI missionaries
OF American Protestant churches, ac-
cording to Fred B. Fisher of the Centen-
airy of the Methodist Episcopal church
This single fact gives an idea of the
great scope of the work by the American
physicians connected with missions In
heather lands The medical missionary
is soon overrun with patients. His fame
spreads. Friends or refurfves often carry
a sick person many days to reach him.
He is called upon to perform difficult
operations under primitive conditions.
In parts of Africa for instance. mis-
sionary surgeons have TO treat a surpris-
ing number OF natives who have been
scaIped The scalping is done, not in
American redskin style. out by wild ami
mails in the jungle. Children are frequent
sufferers. Where the entire scalp has
been torn away, a satisfactory scar tissue
forms after the wound has been dressed
properly and tee necessary sanitary pre-
cautions enforced.
DIR. John G. Vaughn. formerly a medical
missionary in China, and now at the head
of all the medical missionaries of the
Methodist Episcopal church, paints
striking picture of the veneration and
awe caused by the white doctor in the
East.
1.-TWO relatives of a blind man in China
often will turn over = bamboo couch,
place cushion on the Oortom and carry
the sufferer for week to reach the med
icaI missionary" he said We allow
the relatives to stand at the door of the
operating room. This Is to conquer their
superstitions.
s1rhen comes the wonder of the anaes-
thetic, the sleeping medicine. We hear
them talking excitedly among themselves
over the fact that We are cutting the
patient and he does not feel pain They
are at his bedside when he RECEIVERS con-
seriousness
'.I fthe patient is of the rover class, AS
is usually the case, he is much affected
by the days he spends in the hospital
after his operation. To lie in clean
bed, in clean room and nave fine women
bring him things to eat and drink-alI
this to a man who has been used to being
cuffed around is a revelation
In some hospitals we say prayer be-
fore the operation but not If we think
the relatives of the patient will take 1t
for magic, or the summoning of spirits
While in the ward after the operation the
patient also has a chance to listen to
Christian teachings and we try to inn
press upon his receptive mind the bens-
fits of western civilization, especially
cleanliness.
He returns to his little village back
in the country to tell wonderful story.
He is our emiSsary. I am sorry to say
we have not the facilities to take adj
vantage of such opportunities. An evan
gelist sent back with a patient who has
been cured could accomplish much in
weaving the people from their degrading
superstitions and prejudices, but We
have not the men to SEND out. So most
Of the opportunities are lost
I'm all backwaH nj countries cataract is
prevalent, due to the neglect of slight ir-
ritations of the eye. The sens becomes
Opaque. BY a slight operation with co
cafne-another wonder to the natives-we
remove the lens. Then eye glasses with
the proper artificial lens viii restore the
sight to near normal. OF course we can
cope with only a small proportion of the
cases among the teeming millions of the
East.
'Trachoma is an even worse plague
than cataract. The eyelids in this dis
ease become graduated and deformed AMI
scratch the eyeballs until the sight is
lost 1t is difficult to cure, but we do
much to alleviate it.
But perhaps the greatest problem is
tuberculosis. Not that its cure in incip-
lent stages is SO difficult, but when we
tell the natives we are not going to give
him any medicine ana he needs only to
keep in the fresh air and eat plenty Of
good food and rest as mucn as possible
he smiles incredulously. The white phy-
stefan evidently is crazy. NO medicine2
and stay in the open air? Evidently the
white man is not interested In the case
You see, the Chinese believe the evil
spirits that cause disease dwell in the
winds. Therefore, when ill., they draw
their beds away from the windows and
back into the darkest corners of the
room and then like as not put curtains
around it.
ITO combat tuberculosis the Young