CO129-592-1 Reports on current situation- medical work 3-11-1945 - 7-3-1946 — Page 59

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such great importance that any risks involved had to be met.

From the beginning there was always the danger of the spread of infectious diseases of all types and medicines and soap were of more importance than food. Here again the camp was under the control of the Military Authorities who were on every occasion so much against interference by the Civilian Authorities and in turn Dr. Selwyn-Clarke.

In the first few months following the

surrender, he was unable to be of much help but by perseverance he finally reached the Japanese officer in charge of the camp. Following this visit supplies of washing-soap (to counter the high incidence of scabies) tooth powder, clothing, footwear, and sportsgear were allowed through, but I do not think this included medicines. This source remained open for a short period until the Japanese in charge of all Military Camps interfered and ordered that all supplies be sent to him first (for distribution as he thought fit) and not direct to the camp.

This later arrangement was, however, a

slow and doubtful one, and when Dr. Selwyn-Clarke discovered that they refused to give receipts he discontinued this system and made use of an underground Source which worked right up to the time of his arrest. One other reason why he discontinued the old method of despatch was because he found that supplies were not reaching the Canadian prisoners in the temporary North Point Camp, and that his efforts to relieve the unsatisfactory state of affairs in that camp were fruitless.

Another means of transmitting supplies was opened when several of the lady helpers, who had husbands in the camp and who were themselves third nationals, under the guidance of Dr. Selwyn-Clarke, persuaded the Japanese officer in charge of all camps to permit their sending in large supplies of footwear, soap, etc. Great difficulties were encountered in their efforts to get these supplies across to Kowloon but this was finally arranged by Dr. Selwyn-Clarke.

It was towards the end of the summer of 1942 that news was received that there was a severe outbreak of diphtheria in this camp and that many were dying each day. It was fortunate for these poor men that other means of transmitting supplies had been arranged as large quantities of medicines were immediately sent to the camp. Included in this supply was anti-diphtheria toxin and there is little doubt that most of the men remaining alive in the camp today owe their lives to the fact that this medicine reached them in time. All these supplies are known to have arrived in the camp safely as receipts were received from the medical officer in charge of the camp hospital.

Through this same source he received periodic reports on health conditions in the camp and on discovering that the food situation was so appalling (e.g. a small piece of fish once and sometimes twice a week being all the protein they received), arranged for the despatch through the same underground channels of large sums of cash to the Medical Officer so that he could buy extra food for the hospital patients at the camp canteen. Large supplies of Vitamin B.1 sent in proved insufficient and it was not until December, 1942, when the Japanese eventually agreed to weekly parcels, a privilege (and sometimes the only one) granted to most camps, that conditions improved in the camp. The distribution of I.R.C. parcels and supplies at the end of 1942, which the Japanese withheld for weeks, also helped in the considerable improvement of health noticed early this year.

When