New Britain herald., 1929-10-09
HINDUS IGNORANT
 OF MEDICAL HELP
Prefer to Trust in Gods, Ex.
 change Club Is Told

II, stated Dr. Francis Ellis of Farming ton' III an address before members or the Exchange club last evening. Tn looking back to my work in h. dia l get aA feeling of qualification m reallzlng that l have helped and rendered assistance 10 people who are In sore need of it. he added. TOT the past ten years Dr. Ellis has been medical missionary in India, and he addressed the club last night Tn the spirit of a man who has a NlSlon Of his work before him. He gave vivid details of the life of low and high caste Hindus, contradict Ing the novel features brought out Tn Katherine NayO's book Mother lndla,' as an "atrocious lie and a gross misrepresentation of the con- dllons and the actual facts Of life Tn that country"
 Inc lnhabtant of India is self 'ehtefcd creature. mindful of his own needs and his only, with whom 1hc scientific advances of the mod ern physician are unavailng. Science can only go out and try to help. but lh many cases the native Hindu is not desirous of this help. It can point out to him the diseases and Inc plaques with which he is afflict- ed are of germ origin, but he is un- mindful of that fact and practically nothing can show him that it is not the wrath of a god with which he Is suffering hut the wrath of 6 sore ly tried unhygienic situation. This is the reason that Hindus make pill grimages to so-called holy rivers. They do not believe in sciences and think that they can wash off their diseases.
 Neighborly, These Hindus
 It is hard to cope with a situa- ton in which a sick person does not care for the condition of his neigh bor and will do nothing to help medical authorities cope with the conditions" In Illustrating this. Dr. Ellis stated that if a man caught a poisonous snake in his yard he would calmly toss it over into the yard of the next door ncighbor and as long as it did no harm to his own immediate family he did not care how many others died from the poisonous bite.
 Natives form almost unusual at tachments to foreigners. Dr. Ellis had his own group of loyal natives and one of these came to him one day With a broken arm. She toll him that it had been broken for some time. As a matter of fact # had been broken shortly after he had left for America on a vacation This native had waited for him, dis regarding the proximity of other doctors in the ncighborhood. until he had returned from his vacation and then appealed to him.
 How to Get Rid of Monkeys
 The feeling of superstition and tn" mystery with which gods are surrounded arc the fundamental causes of the spread of disease, ho said. A man came to him one day with a bruised arm. claiming that a monkey had thrown stone at him. This entire ncighborhood was infested with monkeys and finally they became so annoying and troublesome that something had to he done They rould not ho killed. for they wore supposedly sacred. The next best thing was to trap them and send them away. This was done and the monks were cartcd away 10 another village. regardless Of the protests of the receiving vl- lag,rs.
 In regard to th" spread of disease Dr. Ellis stated that tine disregard almost incredulous. The people had so much faith in their gods thqt they thought they would not con- tract diseases unless it was so will ed by this particularly avaricioUs deity. Lepcrs arc common on the streets and other disease carriers are prevalent.
 In his estimation, leprosy is cur able If it is taken care of in early stages. Graphic descriptions of sui ferers from this disease were mad by Dr. Ellis who has had much contact with patients. He has help ed establish several leper stations throughout India.
 Don't Feel Loss of Toes
 Loprosy, as everyone knows, is disease of the body. Natives can not tell whether they have it or not until they have begun to feel it's advanced ravaging influences. The part of the body subject to the dis ease is devoid Of feeling. In graphic illustration Of its effects, Dr, Ellis told of an instance where he was approached by natives and asked to remedy a certain situation. It seems that in sleeping on the floor natives who have the disease ar, victims of rats, The natives came to him and complained that during the night the rats would come and nibble off their toes. They could do nothing for they felt no pain, the effects of the disease being such that the affected parts had lost all sense of feeling
 In rtcllnS experiences like these. Dr. Ellis showed how much need there was of skillful men to work with the natives anu what the con- ditions were which did not permit of too much freedom of the scien- tifc method.
 DAMAGE POLICE CYCLE
 While Officer Clarence Kumm was having a pocket of his riding coat sewed in Mc1nerney's harness shop at 107 Church street about 5:4O o'clock last evening, boys playing around his motorcycle at the curb knocked 1t down, spilling about gallon of gasoline and causing dent In the headlight rim and slight damage to the siren horn.