Medical student orientation

     A senior medical student, Jonathan Martin, from Loma Linda University arrived in Bere Tues night April 2 then Wed am he began his “orientation” by going with Dr. B. down to where the baby elephant is. They were wondering if Dr. B could put in a feeding tube either surgically or what as the elephant was deteriorating and refusing to eat much and so a last ditch effort to save him. We got the tube down through the mouth but had to put a hand and arm into the mouth and throat to direct the tube. A monkey was caught and hanging over a wall so the student rescued him. 

    Then back to humans and saw the MCD and then at the hospital he saw a large bladder stone in a 3 year old boy then a boy with huge abcesses in buttocks that when the incision and drainage was done the pus actually came out spurting under pressure with about a liter of purulence. Then there was a ruptured ectopic pregnancy with quite a bit of blood in the abdomen. Also some head trauma cases with lacerations of the scalp that we sutured up. One was about 5 inches laceration and down to the bone.
     On the 2nd day he was helping with a C-section for ecclampsia and a case of a bone tumor on the distal radius and a curettage (D & C) and we unwrapped a skin graft that we did 10 days ago and it looks as if it all took on the lady that we had amputated the arm at the shoulder because it was necrosed in a reaction to a penicillin shot. Part of the skin around the shoulder also was necrosed but had finally granulated in and now the skin graft looks good. He saw our Easter hippo bite of a man’s thigh. So far the man is doing ok but still has some drainage as would be expected.
     He is matched to a surgery residency program in Detroit, Michigan then hopes to go somewhere as a missionary surgeon. He is a deferred mission appointee. Maybe he could come to Bere after his residency who knows. He graduates from LLU May 25. He is very likeable and nice to work with.
     We are doing well other than it is hot about like Okla summer.

Love, Rollin and Dolores
Our emails are drbland@sbcglobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com