MY TOOTH STILL HURTS

An army officer and Vietnam veteran told a story of how
he was in Vietnam and took a patrol out to give medical
treatment to the villages. The sergeant was an expert in
pulling teeth.

An old man came up with a tooth that was rotten to the core
and in great pain. He could not speak English but grimaces
seen in his white beard showed he wanted to be treated.

The sergeant told him through the interpreter to sit on a seat
and gave the old man an injection prior to extraction. After 10
minutes had elapsed the officer picked up the pliers and turned
to find that the old man was gone.

In the afternoon, the old man was back with family, shouting at
the officer. He told him through the interpreter that he had been
tricked. He was given medicine in the mouth but it did no good.
The tooth still hurts.

It took a while through family and interpreter to be convinced
that the injection was the first step. Half an hour later, the old
man was happy and showing his tooth to his family in a folded
handkerchief.

Lessons are to be learned for Kokoda villages. Trekking groups
must not be too keen to give medical treatment to villagers. To
offer help means a trekking group can heal. That can become
a problem for later. Probably not but you never know in the
land of the unexpected.

Trekking groups must understand that if antibiotics are given,
trekkers will not be around to make sure the complete regime
of tablets is taken. Many villagers will keep most tablets for
the next infection. Antibiotic powder may be better.

At least the kiap patrols were able to say that they would check
on the way back. Kokoda treks never come back until the next
trek.

Trekking groups should limit the help to basic first aid. What if
complicated help is given and a person dies? It will not be good
if the village demands compensation when the trek comes again.
Payment refused means the company will be denied access

through the village permanently.

Malaria medicine should only be given to someone suffering
malaria. Perhaps two/ three ARTIMISIN tablets. The trekking
team must not think that every person in the village should be
given malaria tablets. That is not how villagers will respond

to malaria. They only take the tablets when the fever hits.

Villagers have a wide range of herbal mixtures from the jungle.
Especially for cuts and sores, they may not be sitting waiting
for a trekking group to save them. This is all common sense
but may not be so for some expatriate trekking groups.