Evening star., 1943-07-07
Bethesda Physician
Aids Fight on Disease
In North Africa
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Staff CorreSpondent.

1s"A Ss~AA AAScpohuShts
ALGIERS (By MaiD Three
Public Health Service physicians
have the big job, under the ONCE
of Foreign Relief and Rehabilita-
ton here, of medical rehabilitation
of French North Africa.
The group Is headed by 1t. Col.
D. A. Reekie, former chief medical
ofiicer of the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority, and includes Majs. Darland
Davis and Michael Furkolow of Be-
thesda, Md. The work involves allo-
cation through Morocco, Algeria and
Tunisia of approximately so tons OF
medical supplies a month, allotting
food to combat widespread nutri-
tional diseases among the native
population and of cussing French
public health efforts in directions of
value to the war effort.
"Hypo" Widely Used.
North Africa has depended largely
on France for its medical supplies.
The Washington doctors soon learned
that there Is a wide difference be-
tween French and American phar-
macology. The former calls for a
great variety of medicines for intra-
venous and subcutaneous injection.
The "hypo" was used for almost
any complaint under the sun. Such
were bulky and many of
them cannot be supplied from the
United States. A part of the Amer
lean physicians effort has been to
persuade the doctors to use Amer
lean medicines.
When they first went into Tunisia
the estimate of the local pharma-
ceutical houses was that the min
imum restocking necessary to safe
guard public health would amount
to about 800 tons, big drain on
scant shipping.
Cut Needs to 20 Tons.
After a survey they were able to
cut this down to about 20 tons.
Then the necessary supply could
be kept up by shipments of about
eight tons month. They found
there actually were local facilities
for making some of the bulkier
parts of the required supply, such as
bandages, ampules for serums. etc.
They are discouraging indiscrimi-
nate use of the X-ray and thus have
been able to cut down greatly on
the number of plates and Aims re-
quired.
Their special concern is the sani-
tary condition of any area where
American troops are stationed. A
major problem is malaria. The
Army cleans up possible mosquito
breeding places within a few miles
of its own camps, but it is highly
essential that arrangements be
worked out with the French to keep
malaria germs down in the sur
areas.
One of the three doctors biggest
jobs is with the so-called displaced
the refugees scattered
over North Africa during the Ger
man occupation and the actual
days. This is considered
an example, in miniature, Of the
enormous problem which awaits
Gov. Herbert H. Lehman's Office of
Relief and Rehabilitation
when the occupied countries of Eu-
rope are delivered from the Nazi
yoke.
Typhoid Found There.
Both typhoid and the far-more-
deadly typhus have been endemic
for years in North Africa. These
and fly and flea carried diseases
that easily might become virulent-
ly epidemic except for the efforts
Of the French public health work
ers. aided by the Americans This
will be a far greater problem in
occupied Europe, where, in a single
year after the last war, typhus
deaths almost doubled all battlefield
casualties. They are learning how
to deal with it.
For years, Col Reekie points out,
the French sanitary authorities have
been extending public health work
on a permanent basis. This has
been slow and expen-
sive. The problem of the American
doctors is to improvise cheap meth
DDS whereby there can be an enor-
nous expansion in few months.
Maj. Davis formerly was employed
in medical research at the Health
Center at Bethesda. A graduate of
the Johns Hopkins University Med
ical School. he was lent for the du-
ration of the war to the State De-
partment from the United States
Public Health Service.
His wife, Caroline, and son live
at 4609 Harling lane, Bethesda. Md.
A native of Ohio, Maj. Furkolow's
wife, Carolyn. lives at 6708 Offutt
lane. Chevy Chase, Md He is a
graduate of Yale University and
has been overseas since April l. He.
too, has been lent to the State
for the duration of the
war.
A brother. William, is War De-
partment employe.