Africa Calling

The "missionary factor" is a vital element in modern African history. Christian missionaries in medicine and education have contributed greatly to African advancement--many outstanding African leaders are the products of mission schools--but were the missions the agents of a distorting western imperialism? Based on the letters and contemporary records of Herbert Gerrard and his wife Doris, this book leaves readers to judge for themselves. It shows the practice of medicine in the most difficult conditions and by a dedicated doctor on trek. On the "hut call" and in the mission hospitals Gerrard dealt with a huge range of medical problems from gastro-enteritis, measles--a deadly disease in Africa--pneumonia, malaria, leprosy--the whole range of tropical diseases.