Regimental doctoring in a battalion of the King's African Rifles.

THE following account is based on eighteen months' experience as R.M.O. of the 6th Battalion K.A.R. stationed at Dar es Salaam, Tang'anyika, East Africa. Dar es Salaam, the coastal capital of Tanganyika, is situated almost directly opposite Zanzibar Island. Its Arabic name means the "Haven of Peace" and despite the hustle and bustle of the modern world that centres round the new deep water berths of the harbour and the modern almost sky-scraper buildings in town, this title is still appropriate, particularly as one looks out from the yacht club across the calm waters of the bay at the many and varied boats that sway at their moorings. This Haven has a colourful mixed population of several races. There are about 4,500 Europeans; 25,000 Indians and Pakistanis; 2,500 Goans; 1,500 Arabs and an African population of approximately 93,000. Needless to say this very cosmopolitan and multi-racial group live in smooth harmony together. From June to September the climate though tropical is delightful with sunny cloudless days and a gentle breeze followed by cool nights. It can be very hot and humid from November to March when the heavy rains bring welcome relief. The average mean maximum and minimum temperatures are 86° F. and 71°F. respectively. The prevalent endemic disease is malaria, exclusively malignant tertian in type. All military personnel and their families on station take a prophylactic anti-malaria drug (paludrine) as well as observing such other preventative measures as the use of nets, repellant, long sleeved clothing and so on. Here where P.U.O. is a diagnosis because of the many different types of virus fever not yet recorded in the literature, a unit R.M.O. might record a pyrexia of 106° F. one evening and find the same patient normal next day. Clinical material provides a wealth of interest such as malaria, leprosy, filariasis, relapsing fever, the dysenteries, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, bilharziasis, sickle cell anremia, all types of venereal disease and many others, all met in the course of normal everyday experience. For those with a desire to sharpen further their clinical acumen, diseases such as typhoid fever and smallpox can be seen in the civilian isolation hospital not uncommonly ..