THE OREGON SUNDAY r JOURNAL, PORTLAND, '' SUNDAY i HORNING, . JANUARY 19, 1903
- ... - - ".-ir; -.
As an American
Doctor Mel Them in
the Wilds of Africa
JTESIDES carrying to the dusky-skinned
natives of the African jungles the hope
of salvation in the after-life", Christian
medical missionaries are giving them freedom
from the clutch of disease and bodily
Penetrating the Soudan, traveling
through miles of high grass and almost im
passable jungles, Dr. J, S. Derr, a graduate of
the University of Virginia, last fall visited
savages who had never seen a physictan.
Many of them, indeed, had never seen a white
man.
Working at the station of the Soudan
United Mission at Donga, JDr. Derr has cured
hundreds of negroes. Journeying from Don
ga, which is 6oo miles inland, he traveled
nearly ioo miles toward the interior, treating
tribesmen until he reached Gongome.
f In that section medicine had never been
applied for the cure of diseases. Hundreds of
natives sufer from virulent blood diseases,
ophthalmia and ulcers, languishing in suffer-
j
ill -z: v-V ;- '
it mfmYi
II
.
Ml
' M mOM Inland from th Atlaatlo toast and north of th
Conga roglon. Tn tiSertnn of th popl In that aec
tlen Art narrowing. Uanr ft'ceordlng to recent letter re
eelred from hlm,;uSar from virulent blood dlaeaaea. In
the Interior bo hat been kept pur, from morning until
- nlgnt treaUng th olck. He cured one old ehlef, who wii
M orerjoyed that .be accepted Cbriatlahltjr.
The medical mKaion," wrote Dr. Derr, " an accee
OOTT to preaching the gospel; used a a meant of gaining
, the lore and eemfidtnoe of the people, has proved a euc
. eoea In moat fields. Jt ohowg the people In a tangible
' form that ,Chriatlahltjr etaada for love, rood work and
: tbo relief of i jffarlng. Though they may be Ignorant of
their mental darknea and moral depravity, bodlljr pain
la aa real to them mm It ie to ua." ,
Traveling In tbo "Land Of Darkneaa," the Soudan, la
not tbo moat comfortable thing In the world. Dr. Derr
atarted on hie trip Auguat H. with more than a half dosen
. atttndaata,' a number of whom deaerted him on hie Jour
Bey. Frorlslone were .carried In, bpxea which the negroea .
bore on tbelr Beada. Thui the Journey waa made for
three day w4ry tramp through land covered with '
graa which exceeded a man In height. Much of the land
was marehy and aoggr, and it waa with difficulty thai
progrea waa made,
Dr. Derr arrived at Suntal Augutt IS. Thl ii tbo
place where, aome year before, CapUIn Parker waa met
by pear point when he dismounted from his horae.
The chief of guatal," writer Dr, Derr. "had hoard
of my medical work, and ha gave me a cordial welcome.
Th ehlef la a pagan. He aeemed pleased that I vlelted
him. but did not understand what could be done with the
material In my medical cae."
What Dr. Derr did amased the old negro. Immedi
ately on hi arrival the doctor went among the people.
Score lay alck- with fever, aome with limb awollen by
elephantiasis f others suffering from goiter or leprosy..
Ono patient lay with swollen legs, writhing In anguish.
' "I gavo him morphine and whisky," write th doc-
fTJN"? VfiCiN, 'k .,,.. -v. - r V 0mm nil unpin '""'
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Mry r. Dr Derr applied his rem-edies--the
natives regarded him in wonder,
land, when sufering was relieved and sores
healed, they sank to the ground in worship,
believing the missionary a god.
Accounts of his work, just received by
friends in this country, are intensely interest
ing. Net only has Dr. Derr cured many
physically, but he has converted scores of na
tives, among them an old chief, at one time
one of the most bloodthirsty and implacable
in the Soudan.
larly, has much been accomplished by mlsalonariea within
the last few years. : - ' . .
Physician have gone among the. native and per
formed what aeemed miracles to tboae simple-minded peo
ple. Accustomed to the witch doctor, who never oured,
and to supposedly enchanted remedies, which never, of
their own virtue, healed, the natives viewed the applica
tions of medicines and ointments -with amasement. 4
At Gongome. the Innermost point of the continent
reached by Dr. Derr laat fall, the native at firat regarded
him a a god endowed with supernatural powers, His
work among these primitive people of the jungles is
typical of the experience of physicians who roach uOf in
vaded territory. '
Dr. Derr Is stationed at Dongaj 4 largo town about
tor, "and poulticed the leg with potassium permanganate.
His temperature wag 103. Day after day Z vial ted him.
and,' as his pain decreased, he regarded me with wonder
and awe 1 Buch treatment had never been givon him be
fore, and he thought the easement of pain was done by
- ome divine agency," .wia.'!.-,
The mysteries of the revolver, as explained, by Dr.
Dorr to tho old chief, filled him with wonder at the In
,genutty Of tbo wblta man. While walking with tho chief
along tho Suntal river one evening, Dr. Derr showed him
tho . revolver, at tbo same time discharging it With a
wild ory, tho old man threw himself on bis knees, his
eyes staring in fright at the Strang weapon. 'When ha
saw DT. Derr hit the head of a duck on tbo river, at a
seemingly incredible distance, tho old man was speechless.
Dr. Derr spent several days at Buntai, during tho time
. dressing the wounds of Injured natives and administering
medicine to the sick. On th night of tbo harvest festi
val be sat without tho tent of the chief.
., "The moon was Shining In tho clear sky," he writes,
"and the palm tree gently stirred. As wo sat there mem
ber of the trib appeared, all dressed In whit, carrying
th strangest Instruments. There were horns, made of
elephants' tusks, which gavo forth th weirdest, most
piercing sounds; and strange, blubbering drama made of
Una. .
"Then tho native orchestra played. Ono could hardly
Imagine a more weird scene the moon shining so pallidly,
and the strange musicians producing unearthly noises.
That night I talked to th natives about Christ, and they
were deeply Impressed. When I aroee, tho ehlef took my
band.- He was deepty stirred."
Ono night Dr. Derr and the chief took walk Into
the forest. pointed out the star to bint and showed
him the Milky Way. t explained the movement of the
earth about the sun and the moon about the earth. Then
I told htm of the majesty and splendor of Qod'e universe
and the love and greatness of the Divine One.' Bitting
tinder the lets! tree that night I told him more of Jos us." .
And so Dr. Derr continued his work, medical and re
ligious. He cuted many and converted ft number, among
them the old chief.
Pursuing his war through the grassy swamps, Dr.
Derr and his party reached Jafuag, where he heard of a
pagan tribe near Oongome. These people, he waa told,
were warlike and fierce, and wore dreaded by the other
natlvea. The Mohammedan missionaries, who are active
In th Soudan, feared to go to them, After treating the
sick at Jafung, Dr.. Derr went on to Bakundl. a large
town, which is principally Mohammedan.
In - the center of Africa, Dr. Derr points out, the na
tives do not live In caves or Isolated cabins In the Jungles,
as many persona suppose, but in towns. Bakundl Is one
of the largest. These-village are much the same. The
houses certainly do not resemble tho comfortable dwell
ings of America. Tbo homea of tho natives are built of
grass, the roof, which Is cone shaped, resting on heavy
props. Very little clothing is worn, tho garments consist
ing of light wrappings worn about tho waist or flung over
tbe shoulder.
GRATEFUL FOR ATTENTIONS
, Here Dr. Derr visited tbe blacksmith, the weaver and
the school. "This was the first time Z saw a Mohamme
dan school in session," he writes, "and It was very pio
turesque. The little boys were sitting on the ground
shouting the Koran from wooden tablets. These were
held by the handle, and looked like shovels."
From Bakundl Dr. Derr continued his Journey, cross
ing tbe mountains. Here, for the first time since be took
up his work in that region, he was able to drink pure
spring water. In tbo mountains tho air was fresh and
pure, tbe scenery splendid. Passing down the mountalna
on tbo other side, he arrived on September at Klngana,
. large town, and practically the key to tho region be
yond. On the 9th he treated twenty patients.
That night tbe chief visited him and told him th town
was his.
When preparing to go farther Inland soma of Dr.
. Derr's laborers ran away from him and he was left
stranded. He continued his work, taking Journeys by
day and treating the sick. Near Klngana he treated na
tives who bad cover seen a white man. Instead of op
posing him. tbe natives received hi attentions with grat-
-, itude, and Dr. Derr was so elated bo mad plan for th
establishment of A station
On his return to Donga Dr. Dorr continued his work,
' leaving behind him hundreds of patleitts who had been
etarted on the road to recovery. At first, be says, he
' found dlfflculty in getting tho natives to let htm treat
' them, their faith In tho hative witch doctor having been
Implicit, despite the failure to cure,
One old woman recently came to him for treatment
For three years she had suffered from Ulcers, The only
treatment she had received waa applications of fire. In
vestigation showed that her ligaments had been sloughed
Into shreds. Although the natives, after seeing a cure,
.regard a physician as a god posaessed with supernatural
powers, they show little faith In bis medicines at first
Dr. Derr writes as follows ..r ,
Injections for a biooa auwase. I had It carefully ex
plained to them that they could not be cured immediately,
but would have to" come once a week for treatment Two)
- came for a second Injection, and one of these never cams
for a third. Tbe ono who baa received regular treatment
now shows decided evidence of Improvement, and alsa
seems quite grateful. A boy was brought to me wltH
largo patchea of chronic yaws on bis shoulder, chest an4
leg; Ha waa a pitiful spectacle, and his expression wasj
that of ono resigned to his fate. I cleaned up the sores,
and applied ointment, but he never came again,-,
"From all accounts, spectacular operations are tbosO
that make tho Impression on the mission field; but fon
myself 1 ao not cuiunuer 11 wisv 10 mmM "
out an assistant who Is able to administer an anesthetic
and without better means of caring for th patient than
exist now. Up to the present I have been without soma
of my most needed drugs, owing to tho fact that my
station chest ha not yet arrived from IM." i
Many, of course, are the humorous experiences of si
physician. Some months ago the chief at Donga sent fo
Dr. Derr and asked for whisky for his sore leg.. .' .'
"I had a note from. Mr. Berkeley saying that his maJ-
eaty had a sore leg, and bad expressed a desire that X
should examine it" writes Dr. Derr.. "He told mo pri
vately, however, that he thought it waa whisky be really
wanted. I thought this not unlikely. . Putting a box of
mustard leaves and a bandage In my pocket Z proceeded
to tbe king's house, where I was cordially received. II
looked quite wholesome, except for bis dull eyes, and Z
could distinguish no limp In his walk. After preliminary;
salutations, I proceeded to investigate th leg." obtaining
a history of an enlarged ankle somewhere In tbe dim past.
This, he told me, had yielded most remarkably to whisky
also that It hurt him now from time to time, and It re
quired more whisky to eaae It (
"I informed him that my plaster was much better for
bis foot than whisky; and, after ordering some water,
applied it and faatened It on tight with a bandage, giving
him Instructions not to remove it until it had burned a
long time. I learned afterward that the plaster did Us
work well! He asked for no mor whisky." , u ; ,
Dr. Derr has been working in tbe Soudan about 4
year. Among the natlvea whom he has visited aro th
Muncbl people, who aro extremely savage They us a
peculiar poison on the tips of their arrows, which is fatal.
The antidote la known only to tbo Munchi people them
selves. U?-'1? '
How Important Is medical work In this section of Af
rica one who has not visited tho country cannot realise.
Innumerable diseases prevail, and Dr. Derr's days aro full
ofwork. He has had to treat patients who suffered from
tho sleeping sickness that fatal disease to which thou
sands of natives have succumbed. '?
Mohammedanism has been sweeping over th Sou
dan, and Christian' missionaries are now : pitting their,
strength against the spread. Th Soudan comprise aa
area equal to about two-thirds that of th United States
without Alaska, and comprises about ten kingdoms, under
British, French and German control. There aro about 100
distinct free heathen tribes, with a population of from
W.ooo.ooe to w.000,000., v . . - .;-- .
The medical mission, it Is said, Is tho strongest weapon
against the spread of Islamlsm. "Cured of physical ills
writes Dr. Derr. "tho natives will listen to religious teach
ing. And in sending them physicians Christians hav am
opportunity which the Mohammedans do not possess." .
Some Curious Facts
o
DIFFICULTIES BESET DOCTORS
"Fear on the part of tbo native Indifference and lack
of faith in the white man's medicine retard the work at
first A short time after Z cam to pong, four men got
K
eepiogarm "with rigbl-liaed Reinpant
"TP ERRIBLB maladies Infect whole tribes of natlvea
.-'I . In innermost Africa. Plagues spread and decl
X njate the black nations. Incredible sufferings are
endured by the people of the Jungla; they die,
and tho disease or plague continues its ravages unchecked.
-Frightful poisonings of the blood kill off thousands
each year. Infectious diseases crawl through the Jungles
; with a purpose more subtle and virulent than the moat
poisonous of serpents. . , ,
; : For centuries It has been so. The blank man suffered
f and died because he had not wherewith to cur himself,
'. because' bo did pot know how to treat his Injuries, as-
suage his fevers and check contagions.
ft. . Now, however, hope Is given him, cures are promised,
for th "white man will doctor him and treat his sores.
. Bandages will bo wrapped about his ' aching, swollen
bmbs, and lotions will be applied to festering hands and
i facet. Quinine will dissipate fevers, and various remedies :
'clean out. the venomous germs which bare devoured the
strength and virility of tribes. .
- Nature herself .has dealt bitterly with many of these
children of nature. Now civilisation promises remedies
for their ills. ' ' 1 "
During the last decade marvelous work has been ao.
compllshed In Africa by the vanguards of civilisation, the
Christian missionaries, who aro taking; with th cross, :
medicine and the surglcaj case. . In. the Soudan, partlou-
F YOU will wear light-colored clothes your
wu wui ui Hjii warmer in winter wan 11
your habiliments bo tha dark hues which man
throughout the) civilized world has so lone
affected. And your spiritt will continually he a
good deal higher, mor, cheerful, than tha condi
tion which, during the long yenrg you have do
voted to aomberness of attire, you have trained
yourself to regard as normal.' ' ;C -a
Such is the latest theory advanced in the
foremost medical journal known to tha profession,
tha London Lancet. : ". w.V-v-:
When the Lancet speaks, medicine and surgery
hold their breath. So every circle of civilised hu
manity, fr6m teachers to tailors," has hastily risen
up and taken notice Af H .
E
LEMENTARY chemistry, when it deals with the
hasio properties of light and hear In tha prepara
tory schools, has been accustomed to state that
heat and light. In conjunction, as when they are
received from tho glowing disk of the sun, are uniformly
reflected by surfaces that are light in color and aa uni
formly absorbed by surfaces that are dark.
Part of the rising up and taking- notice that developed
among tbe medical men of Great Britain, v Immediately
upon the utterance of Its novel dictum bjr tho Lancet, was
deyoted to announcing that the infallible one must be
suffering from an. Invasion of bat in the belfry, because
" . I - ' -
light-colored clothing must Inevitably reflect the sun's
rays of light and, with tho light, tho beat tho rays con
tain. .
But tbe Lancet's word goes far, and the season In
London hat produced some specimen of male garments
that would have made th queen of Sheba chase Solomon
off the block. And already tbo Anglo-American mind,
which still thinks it can't think for Itself, Is tuning up Its
wheels for a few preliminary sartorial revolutions. -.
Mostly these new passion flowers In dud run to waist
coats. The era of the vest ended finally when Dewey at
Manila spoke the hlstorio words, "You may fire when
ready, ,arldly." That was tho occasion whn tbo United
States proved it had the punch; and Great Britain com
memorated It by admitting that we were no longer her,
poor relations and receiving our homage in the drawing
room Instead of the servants' hall. We discovered the
Japanese were really human beings aa soon as they had
alaughtered enough Russians. ;., ,
America's gratitude for her kind old! grandmother's
condescension at one ended the existence Of th vest,
which degenerated into an article of feminine attire
henceforth unmentionable, a th grateful Japanese left
their flowing national robe to their women while they
Inserted themselves into trousers and looked like $3.7$
worth of hand-me-downs. ,
So now America's hall-mark of elegance I the waist
coat of which the great historical significance Is hero for
the first time explained.
Whenever an Englishman gets excited be sees red.
Ho is so much worked up over the Lancet's announce
ment that his waistcoats are volcanic Th American Is
dutifully taking bis In crimson. The glare of Bute street
In Chicago has locoed the steers In tbo stockyards.
New Tork is going heavy on 0 bear-up cravats. The
patrioUo American neoku became obsolete with the
hereditary American vest it survives only lit New
Mexico and the adjacent acreage, where necktie parties
maintain some of their old-tlmo popularity; yet even
there" many prominent citisens, 1 while willing enough to
attend, are prejudiced against wearing the necktie them
, aelves. " :'- . ,V.A-Vj.i rl: 1: .v .'
New Tork, however, Is almost In despair. It yearns,
with the fierce longing characterlstlo of tho Great White
Way, for cravats which shall be more lurid this year than
they were last But every hue of the spectrum was long
ago levied on by New Tork to whoop up lbs sagging splr-,
its, from virgin white, which it likes to fawncy appropri
ate, to polychrome braided with gold tinsel.
The Inventor who can otter to dear old Broadway a
jiew and gorgeous cravat color will bo welcomed from
Fulton street to tbe Park by every haberdasher notice
that word? any time betwoea 1 A. OH. and 12 midnight
Sundays Included.- rM--''-
It waa unfortunate that tho Lanoet did not move Its
discovery ahead a tew week before all th husbands of
( aU tho women dug down for the black pony furs that
have nearly frozen tbe mor desirable half of the popu
lation this winter. r't ; . ,
They didn't know they war freezing tmtd the Lancet 4.f
told them. But now they do know. It has become appar-
nt that they must change to ermine. '
There certainly la something la tho cheerfulness end
of tho theory.- ; t
N AN average, thirty-one people lose their uvea
yearly by accidents in the Alps. ;
For a feat of dexterity and nerve It would bo
difficult to surpass that of the Bosjesman of South Africa
who walks quietly up to a puff adder and deliberately,
sets his bare foot on Its neck. In Its struggles to es
cape and attempts to bite Us assailant . the poison!
gland secretes a large amount of the venom. ; This la
Just what the Bosjesman wants. Killing th snake, be
eats the body and uses the poison for his arrows.
Tbe latest use of th telephone la Jn locating sboau
of fish. The electric apparatus is a German patent Ai
microphone. Inclosed in a water-tight ease, connected
with an electric battery and telephone; Is lowered Into
the water. 60 long as tbe telephone hangs .free no
sound Is heard, but on Its coming into contact with ai
shoal of fish tbe constant tapping of the fish against!
th microphone case produces a series of sounds which
at once betray tbelr presence. The, cord attached to
the microphone Is marked, so that tha exact depth o
the shoal is designated. ' lv , :
The title lieutenant comes from words signify! ,
"holding the place." Thus, a lieutenant colonel hoi.' s
the place of a colonel In the absence Of the latter, and
a lieutenant holds the place of a captain; .
In the manufacture of knives, the division of labor
has been carried to such an extent that one knife is
handled by seventy different artisans from tbe moment
the blade Is forged until the Instrument is finished an i
ready for the market ,' ,
An iceberg often last 200 years, Jt is declared by;
scientists. ' ' v ' -
One sudden death occurs among women to eight
among men. t , l "
The smallest, simplest and beat protected post
office in the world Is lq th trait of Magellan, an I
has been there for many years, It consists of a sma.l
painted keg or cask, and 1 Chained to tbo rocks c.;
tha extreme cape In a manner so that it floats fr
opposite Terra del Fuego, Passing ships eend boat
to take letters out and put others In. This curlou
postofllce Is unprovided with ; a" postmaster, and I ,
therefore, under tho protection 1st aty the navies of th
world. ,?-fir'1 : -
The coldest period of the day la said to be a fw
minutes after sunrise. . This 1 due to the fact timr,
when ttV sua first- strikes tbe earth, it causes f
evaporation of a chilling moisture.
One of the strangest prises offered by the I'ren.
Academy of Sciences is f 20,000 for the person w :.
discover a method of communication between plan, t .
Locomotive engineers in Germany receive a sum '
money .and a gold watch for every ten yearn ,. f .
Without an accident . " t.
Insects, aa a general rule, have little or n
Of sound. The ant I th insect With tits best tt -oped
bearing organs, ' ' V'
: Great Britain has a longer searoast 1;n
other nation in Europe. It meimuri' nvnr
Italy coming second with 2172, ItusrlA rank t
franco fourth,.