Medical and sanitary report / Government of the Gold Coast.

  • Gold Coast. Medical Department.
Date:
[1918]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical and sanitary report / Government of the Gold Coast. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/68 (page 15)
    The very natural resentment at this visitation found its vent in attacks upon Government in the lay press. The following hymn composed and circulated by a native indicates some¬ thing of the depression caused by the epidemic:— Hymn 986. hi Time of Pestilence. 1. In grief and fear, to thee, 0 Lord, We now for succour fiy, Thine awful judgments are abroad, O shield us, lest we die. 2. The fell disease on every side Walks forth with tainted breath ; And pestilence, with rapid stride, Bestrews the land with death. 3. O look with pity on the scene Of sadness and of dread, And let thine angel stand between The living and the dead. 4. With oontrite hearts to thee, our King, We turn, who oft have strayed ; Accept the sacrifice we bring, And let the plague be stayed. As it was suggested that the high case-mortality among the Europeans might have been contributed to by the long tours of service resulting from the war, the accompanying table has been prepared giving in as many instances as possible information with regard to the length of tour of those attacked and it will be seen that no connection can be traced between length of tour and severity of attack or case-mortality rate. I wish in conclusion to pay a tribute to the work of my colleagues during the period of the pandemic and to record my appreciation of the manner in which the native staff worked faithfully and untiringly throughout. The following telegram from a Dispenser in charge of an out-station sent at the beginning of the outbreak, is characteristic of the spirit in which they met and endeavoured to combat it. “ To Honourable “ Principal Medical Officer, “Accra. “ 27/9/18. I have several cases of doubtful fever, symptoms of which “ are headache, cough, fever and weakness of limbs amongst town people 41 and school children. 44 DISPENSER. 4