,r. · 2013. 8. 27. · provision under Act 15 of 1 ^ mediGel examination as aiat on a medical...
Transcript of ,r. · 2013. 8. 27. · provision under Act 15 of 1 ^ mediGel examination as aiat on a medical...
Amongst the the mortality
except in certain seasons in the fever
S ere a strong and healthy race.
r ^ L r p f e v ^ s ^ n
rities for the action t a t o ? ^ Qf malarial
in sending out Natives to neii remove(i a little too
fever; hut they feel t h e y ] ^ ® eriiraent to make those health early. They appeal to the * ^ ^ at gny and all
visitors a perm^ ei i^-Dle''to serve’ and help their people, times they may be availa . es whioh have come into the
There are certain the S8tl,e medicine
land since the advent of -^em - they canno t cure them,men ere not elle to deal with »J th0 Government toThat is one of the r e w o n . ^ ^ l M d . ap_
have these heelth visi ° r a c£mtsgione disease cen be deteo
pointed permenantly - reported to European doctors and oealtted at an early stage, <nd p kinds of health helpers -with. They have a M g P « U over ^ , re rela-
they are of the datives tances*and a man or woman who is ill
tives, frienas or symptoms and get advice,could go along to them, aetaii 1 tElity in the Native areas
There is a good deal of a o r t e i i ^ ^ m?teruity oases
amongst women owing t ^he Government to have someare handled. They woula appeal (JSiey thin*; that nurses
provision made for helping ^ Qtent to deal with such c&ses Iho have heen trained a n * * mothars „nd hahlee.
coula do a good aeal of good 1 <Prpg 1914/5.J
vr M Mkize is in favour of c o m p u l s o r y education in
the reserves'for children from 6 to IE years
,r. F . Roc^eth, S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s e r v e s ^
Inspector of Native Labourers for t th sugar Prea,
the reason for the influx of ^ ^ ra£ , tion of the hoys 3Pys there is a very stringent m e d i ^ ° * a m i n ^ ^ ^
who are sent to the c gll the ^ f i t s . There is some-
venient off-loading s * medical inspection, there is no
thing very much *mJa® w f 1Q11 whereby the"Government can inprovision under Act 15 of 1 ^ mediGel examination as
aiat on a medical examination. request of the Director of
takes place only takes place M^diQ8l officer is employed
Native Labour. ®hl» he is going to try to pleaseto the recruiter, ana naturally he ' s faeJ>t0Q gtrin68nt, the
his employer, and were the Me m£n who is goingrecruiter would get rid of mm ana empx y fp ^ .R 1 9 5 S .)
to meet his needs.
■mitcn* rsmarks in a Memorandum Mr. Rodseth makes siin ^ ^ Qn r0Cord
enclosed in the file , ^ x ^ h t h i s i s or tuberculosis within a where a Native has diea of ph laxity in aedio8i
z X T i i- j r s -
z x z r x z z : " t : s " * * i n h 0 8 B l t P 1or is repatriated at the expense of t le (PageJL_of
:vTRmorandum..)
The w- w. Hallowes, Missionary of the English
famine and ne hau hsd to bury 54 natives in the three weeks he
was at the Station. (Page 1 9 6 3 .)
Stanger Sitting. 2. 10. 1930.
Mr. G. H. Hulett says tne mortality amongst adults
and children is very considerable, and the Government is very
neglectful in the matter of providing adequate ipedical attention
for the Natives in the Native Reserves. He has advocated this
for some years now - even before Union, in the Natal Government-
that in every Native Reserve there should be established, a Po
lice Station, and pttached to that Police Station there should
be a medical man, end buildings put up - not elaborate buildings -
and there should be trained Native nurses - say one or two - so
that these Natives, especially the women, in connection with
child-birth, women’ s diseases and treatment for tuberculosis
and that kind of thing could be properly attended to. Today
they die, ana nobody knows anything about them. The mortality
is excessive amongst the Natives now, largely due to the spread
of venereal diseases, largely contracted by the men going to
the towns and coming home infected with the disease, and spread
ing it through the locations. There is no hospital accommoda
tion provided for them. He does not advocate very expensive
buildings, but there should be a medical man there, and he should
be alloweu private practice, and the fees should be limited, so
that they come within the capacity of the Natives to pay. He
does not advocate free treatment altogether, except in necessi
tous cases. A man who wants treatment now from a doctor has
perhaps to travel a day’ s journey, or perhaps be oarried there,
and the doctor who attends to him wants 1 <>/-, Mr. Hulett thinks
that is the general fee . He thinks that is a greet hsruship,
and that the Government should do more for the Natives than
it does. It makes provision for the Indians and yet these
Natives in the Reserves have no treatment at a ll . It is e sad sight to see the little children suffering from syphilis
in the Native Reserves, as he has seen when travelling to and
fro through the Reserves to get to Zululand; it is a sad sight
to see these little children going to school infected with this disease; it is a terrible thing.
Dealing with the question of wages, Mr. Hulett adds
that frequently in that district tne employers give their
Natives medical attention free. (Page 1 9 8 3 /4 .)
Mr. Hulett thinks the Health Boards at Urban Locations
are doing fairly well with the powers they have.
(Page 1 9 9 6 .)
Verulam Sitting, o. 10. 1930.
Mr. R. P. Lake, Town Clerk of Verulam, says employers
provide medical attention and medicine for their Native ser
vants. There are two local practitioners. A combined Indian
and Native Hospital is being experimented with for six months
by the Provincial Administration. The last case of infectiout
disease in Natives notified was on the 25th. March 1925, a
Native in employer’ s barracks. Typhoid fever, isolated and
treated privately. The Medical Officer of Health reports:-
Health very satisfactory. Gases coming unaer observation in
adults - bronchitis and intestinal. In children: mostly ente
ritis , mainly due to indiscretion of parents feeding at breast
and then the use of some artificial food, which may be un
necessary and given in dirty bottles.
Very few cases of venereal disease come under obser
vation in the township itself.
In regord to mortality among adults and children*,
-40- the
the MO 0 . H . reports one death only recorded, a mela adult aged
60. Death due to heart failure and dilated heart. No death
during the year. (Page £062/j . )
Ur. Lake says about £1,000 had been spoken of as the
portion of the beer fund which the Board had thought of giving
towards a Hospital. The Board had applied to the Minister of
Native Affairs and there was a difficulty in that Natives from
all over the District would be provided there with hospital
accommodation. The Board was quite prepared to give the money
towards it . The hospital at that time was purely Native and
Indian, it was run by the Indian Immigration Bureau and during
the time the Provincial Administration was experimenting
with it all Indians under the control of the Bureau were sent
to Durban and not to that hospital.
Unfortunately they were not going to convert it
into a regular hospital for Indians and Natives. The pro
vincial Administration was closing it down at the end of the
month. The Board would have liked to have seen it kept open.
It appeareu very necessary to have something of the sort there
even though it is only seventeen miles from Durbcn. Natives
from the whole of the Reserve would come in if the hospital
were run permanently, they would come in from ell round the
District.
It was quite f nice building, very airy. He does
not think it had been suggested that it shouid be used as a
training ground for nurses. (Page 2 0 6 6 /6 .)
i-ort aheustone Sitting. 7 . 10. 15 JO.
Dr. H. (x. Phibben. District Surgeon, 3sys there is
very little syphilis there. He thinks that in the last year
he had had about 27 or 28 cases, ana supposes three or four of
these were tertiaey cases. There is very little primary
syphilis about there, but there is great difficulty in getting
them to carry out the full treatment which is prescribed. They
are injected with salvsrsen, commonly known as 606 and they
think that after two injections they are quite all right again,
which of course they are not. They then stay av/ay and the
medical authorities lose touch with them. At the moment he had
not more than four cases under treatment, of whom two were
Europeans.
His practice among the Natives was chiefly as
District Surgeon, privately he does not go in for Native cases.
It is very difficult to give the proportion of these
cases to all Native cases. The number of cases is very low.
Malaria is practically unknown there, except for a
number of imported oases which had been brought down from
malaria districts through Natives on road gangs and so on, but
he has not come across any cases of malaria which had actually
occurred there. There are no anopheles there.
The general state of the health of the Natives is
very good. He points out that he is practically t newcomer,
and when he says that the health is very good there he is
taking it in relation to his experience in the East, in
Zanzibar, and he supposes there is probably 90^ more sickness
among the Natives in Zanzibar then among the local ones. They
have no jiggers, and he has not seen a single case of bilharzia.
They are practically all Zulus there, he has had sy
philis cases in a few of the coloured races. People from Basu
toland and that way. Among the coloured people there are al
most more cases of syphilis in proportion than among the
sefcx&asNatives there. He has not come across any oases of
Pondos there that he knows of suffering from venereal disease,(Page 2082. )
Harding pitting. b. 10. 19J0.Llr. H. S^ngmeister. Acting Magistrate of the District,
says it is somewhat difficult to deal with the question of mor
tality among edu.lts and children as births and depths are no
longer registered. V/ant of knowledge of the rudiments of health
and diagnosis of disease - everything, more or less, being
"bkchlano"- is the cause of many deaths. 'That practically co
vers anything - anybold is included, chest troubles etc ., every
thing is put down to the same thing, ana he thinks they even call
malaria the same thing. Correct treatment would undoubtedly snve
many a l i fe . Want of knowledge of hygiene, especially in esse
of epidemics, also takes its toll. Dieting is unknown to the
Native.So far as children rre concerned, it is, generally
speaking, a cr.se of the survival of the fittest: owing to want
of knowledge of prox>er treatment infant mortality is fairly
heavy. (I age 2 1 1 9 /^ 0 .)
Quite a number of female Native servants who find
their way to the villages and towns generally suffer from ve
nereal disease. It is much advocated, and Llr. Ssngneister
agrees, that all female domestic servants, more especially
nurse-girls, should be compelled to submit themselves to a
medical examination, and if necessary of course treatment,
before being employed. The same would apply to Natives general
ly working with fooastuffs, such as meat and milk, for instance.
(t'aECe 2 1 2 1 . )
He would not worry the gir^i with regard to undergoing
an examination until they came to apply for a situation, and he
would not extend it, he fully realises that it might affect the
labour supply. It might hf-ve s serious effect, and they would
probably not appreciate such an examination, he would not ex
pect them to a.o so, but in time he thinks tney might appreciate
it, because the girl who is suffering from disease might avail
herself of the chance of being cured. When they see the bene
ficial effect of such a thing, they come forward readily, and
that is what is wanted. The idea is that the master of the
household should say to the girl "you must go to my doctor."(Page 2 1 2 8 /9 .)
There is a medical examination there of Natives re
cruited, they fre examined, llr. Sangneister does not know if
they are all examined before they go away, but he knows that they
are all examined at the other end. (Page 213.5.)
A Statement by Llr. Sangneister, incluaea in the file ,
contains the same remarks.
Llr. Li. 2, Hancock, representing the Farmers’ Vigilance
Society, ana the Agricultural Society puts in a Statement, con
taining, inter alia , the following resolutions:-
It is recommended that the Law regarding the reporting
of deaths among the Natives be more strictly enforced, as it is
believed that many deaths occur by foul means and are not re
ported.Tnat attention be drawn to the prevalence of con
sumption among Natives. (Page £ 197 .)
The fvev. E . Icumalo. dealing with the treatment re
ceived by young Natives on the farms, says that in cases of i l l
ness the parents h* ve to provide medicine and meaicf l aid.
(i age ZZu'j. )
Estcourt Sitting, io. 10. 1930.
r . .7. a . vi taiier. Tov-n Clerk of Estcourt, ssys he
thinks the state of the health of the Natives there is very
good. (Pape 2 3 2 8 .)
I!r . ,]. .t. Odendaal. Chairman Native Administration
Committee, says he is not practising as a Medical doctor, hut
is a dentist, but he thinks on the whole the health of the Na
tives in that particular part is fairly good. One hears very
few complaints. He thinks the same applies to the district,
though ha does not know very much about that.
He thinks they have good teeth.
(Page d'62B . )
Ladysmith Sitting. 15. 10. 1930.
Mr. C. W. 7/right. representing the Elandslaagte Farmers’
Association, ssys in cases of sickness, he is sure every one of
tne farmers tries to help the Natives. (Page £ 459 .)
Mr. .7. K . dhun. Chief Compound Manager of the Dundee
Coal Company, ssys the health condition of the boys, generally
speaking is quite good. He fef.s not had any report in regard to
tuberculosis in his mine, ana rep>ests that generally speaking
the Natives are fairly healthy. (Page £ 466 .)
Mr. T. G. Holmes. Chief Compound Manager of the Burnside
ISo. 1 . Shaft, seriously asks the Commission to approach the pro
per authorities with a view to having the regulations of the
Public Health Act Ho. 36 of 1919 governing venereal diseases
properly enforced. At present there is no lazaretto^in the
Dundee District, neither is there a venereal clinic for rural
natives to receive attention.
It is his experience that cases of venereal diseases
are on the increase amongst Natives, and he gives the following
figures in support, which he has compiled from his records and
those kept at the Burnside Colliery Hospital.
M A L E S : 1927. 1928. 1929. 1930
(9 moi"Syphilis" males treated. 25 40 48 36"Gonorrhea" males treated 3 13 8 15Shifts lost by abovei-
"Syphilis" 563 1294 977 1028"Gonorrhea" 51 262 82 282Average NO. Native employees 2315 2144 2256 2324Percentage detected and treated 1 . 2 1 2.47 2.48 2.19
F E M A L E S :
"Syphilis" females treated — 4 7 18"Gonorrhea" females treated — — _Average No. female residents 512 460 472 491Percentage detected and treated — .99 1.48 3.66Total cases treated (male and (9 mosfemale) 28 57 63 69
A private venereal clinic was established at the Burn
side Colliery Jfif the then Medical Officer ouring September,
1927, since which date Native employees and their womenfolk
haa been enoouraged to present themselves for treatment at a
nominal fee of 10/- per injection, two injections being the
average required to cure a case of syphilis, and when necessary-43-
the amount is paid by the dative in instalments.14 Females received free treatment. About Zjo of the
total number of cases treated there have come forward voluntari
ly for treatment. The majority have been detected by having sus
pected persons medically examined.In an endeavour to detect female cases, Mr. Holmes
has three female detectives who are paid 2/ 6d. for every oase
they are responsible for bringing to light.
This system had been in force since the beginning of
the year and had borne good results. (See figures quoted.)
Previously women were only detected on questioning men who were
treated.Every Native male who is treated for this disease
there is questioned, and in 75jb of the flases they admit to
having contracted the disease from professional prostitutes
who wander from place to place, 2070 contract it from women on
adjacent farms and mines, the remaining 5;0 from their v/ives or
concubines resident at Burnside Colliery.
While the Colliery people are(doing all they can to
eradicate this disease from amongst the Native employees at
Burnsiue Colliery, they feel that they do not get sufficient
assistance from the local authorities, in fact the Police re
fuse to prosecute Natives for concealing and spreading venereal
disease even when the cases are of obvious long standing.
On 2 0 /8 /50 . Mr. Holmes caused two Mative females,
who were badly infected with syphilis, to be taken to the Glencoe
tolice with a request to have them given medical treatment and
to the best of his knowledge they were simply warned by the
Court to return to their kraals.
On other occasions he has gone to the trouble of
charging Native female professional prostitutes with trespass,
given evidence to the effect that they admit being syphilitio
and the Court has simply cautioned and discharged, them with a
warning to return to their kraals. Having no kraals, or no
fixed abode, they simply pass along to the next town or mine
to continue spreading disease.
Mr. ryTYrrteg-r Holmes is of the opinion:-
1 . That a lszaretto is necessary in the Dundee District.
2 . That venereal clinics should be established at ell towns,
mines and villages under Regulation 66, Act 36 of 1919, with
the recognition of Government, where treatment free of charge
should be given.0. That while treatment free of oherge is necessary to en-
oourage the maximum number of voluntary patients, strong mea
sures should be taken against persons concealing the disease,
or neglecting to have themselves cured.
At the time there were two cases of interest pending.
1 . On 2 . 10 . 30 . one of his female Native detec
tives brought to Mr. Holmes* notice that a certain Native female,
a resiuent of an adjacent farm was visiting her mother at Burn
siue Colliery and was syphilitic. The woman admitted that she
was syphilitic, had not been treated, and had contracted the
disease from her husband more than a month previously. He sent
her to the Glencoe Police and understood from them that they
were waiting instructions as to how to deal with her. Nine days
l&ter that woman reported to him that she had been reporting
daily to the police, and had not been treated. That case was
still pending.
2 . On 6 . 10. 30. a Native employee of Burnside
Colliery complaineu. of having some chest trouble. On having
him examined by the Mine iiiedical Officer he was found to be
syphilitic. The boy refused to stay in Hospital and also re
fused treatment. Persuasion was of no avail, and Mr. Holmes
had no option but to have him prosecuted by the Glenooe Po
lice . The case was to be tried by the Dundee Magistrate on
14. 10. 30.
'This evidence was given on the 15th. and the case had -44- been
been tried the previous asy, and. the boy wes fined £5. or six
months imprisonment with hard labour. After the flsse was tried
the Doctor ana Mr. Holmes interviewed the Magistrate end he
promised strongly to support any application which the Company
might make to him for free drugs in connection with this pri
vate clinic which they have established, ana he had also pro
mised to instruct the Glencoe police that in future all cases
of trespass should be sent to Dundee to be tried by him, as the
officer at Dunaee is very unsatisfactory. He slso mentioned
that he himself was astounded at^the number of females running
about. Mr. Holmes pointed out thet in view of the unsympa
thetic manner in which the Mine authorities had been treated
in connection with these cases, it meant that these women were
simply chased away.
trior to 1927 the boys were treated at the hospital
but there was no clinic.The figures of ceses treatea are obtained from the
hospital ana clinic which are in one and the same plsce. The
olinic is not a separate establishment, ^fter 1927 there were
better facilities for treatment, it was put on a proper footing,
it is likely that the figures ere not so complete for 1927 as
for 1926 and 1929. Taking the total number of cases treatea -
leeving out 1927 - there were 57 in 1928, 63 in 1929, and for
the nine months of 1930 there were 69.
The women were more closely watched, previously they
were not so closely watcheu., tney were chased away, and those
chased eway are not shown in the list . (Page 2 4 6 7 /7 2 .)
Collection Number: AD1438
NATIVE ECONOMIC COMMISSION 1930-1932, Evidence and Memoranda
PUBLISHER: Collection funder:- Atlantic Philanthropies Foundation
Publisher:- Historical Papers Research Archive
Location:- Johannesburg
©2013
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