Centipede bite, supply request, dispensary
A species of centipede that packs a painful, venomous bite.
1964 February 15. ? (No date on the letter but the postmark appears to be 05 or 15 FE so best guess. Estelle penned 1964 on the envelope )
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA
Dear mom, dad, Willa and Martin,
Centipede story:
I have to send my drivers license, so I thought I would add a few lines about a nightmare. It went through just before conference. (The misionaries gathered for an annual conference at Katherine Lehmann School - boarding school in Wau in January while the school was on break.) Al had to attend a meeting, so had to go to Lae. About two in the morning, one of the nurses woke me up. She said that a centipede had bitten her. (1) The usual procedure, for such a thing is to give a local injection of propane, which I did, and gave her a pethidine. For others, this has been sufficient, but the pain kept getting worse and worse. I had lanced it as I thought it was too late, Unless one does it right away it doesn’t help. Finally, I decided to give her morphine. I gave her a small dose in case something adverse would happen. She complained of headache and chest pain. I got some? Draining? From the dispensary in case it would be necessary. The pain kept getting worse and worse. Pain works as an antagonist to morphine, and I’ve read in a medical book for scorpion bite, sometimes very large doses. So I gave her the rest of the ampule. Then I thought perhaps she would rest quietly, so I laid down. In a few minutes, I heard her gasping with loud noises, fighting for each breath. We quickly brew tea is strong as we could, and started pouring it into her. We bathed her with warm and cold water. I got the adrenaline ready to give. She just wept as it was such a struggle to keep breathing. She said she knew that she was going to die. We all certainly thought she might too. We prayed and prayed. Now the house girls were there helping and I’d called Jandeng, the old timer around the station. I told her she should ask God to help her too. She seemed to calm a bit, but she still was fighting for breath. We set her up and had someone holding her with pillows. After a half hour or so, she seemed to give up. I gave her adrenaline and then later down and started artificial respiration on her. I had the others lift the end of the bed into Trendelenburg position (2). She cried out each time I pressed on her chest wall, so I turned her over again and did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on her. She stopped, and I started with some resuscitation and then she’d breathe for a while, then she’d stop and lapsed into unconsciousness. We all asked God to help and he’d calmed me enough to be able to keep a fairly cool head, but I surely was scared. I couldn’t get out on the radio and of course I didn’t have a boat. The Kuli was supposed to be coming some time later on in the morning, so I got a few things together. I felt that I had to go with her in case she would stop breathing again. I took the Ampule of adrenaline and a disposable syringe, just in case. I expected to be back by night, but couldn’t count on it. I don’t dare leave Kristi as I never know when she might get sick. So I packed up all the kids to go, when and if we saw the Kuli coming. At dawn, Jandeng started to make a stretcher. We can never keep one, since they all disappear.
About 6 o’clock she started to improve and regained consciousness, and though her breathing was labored, she was breathing! She drank, and drank tea, and said she was so thirsty. The Kuli got here about 8 AM. It was nine or so before we left. Then she started to vomit. She vomited and vomited, but she felt so much better, except for the quite a pain in her stomach. By the time we got her to the hospital, she was over the worst of it and then pretty good shape. I still don’t know if I overdosed her, or if she was allergic to propane, or morphine, or if it was another type of snake, or just what, we will never know. They found two fang marks in her finger, so I think perhaps that was where I gave her the propane, but I’m not sure anymore. It was such a relief to get her in some competent hands.
We were expecting guests to come back with Al when the Kuli got in just before noon. Al and they were waiting at the wharf. Fortunately, they hadn’t eaten so the children and I had a chance to eat before we went back to Malalo. The guests were an American couple and there are two children and the parents of the wife of this couple Reverend and Mrs Reents (3) and Mr. and Mrs. Campbell of Iowa. The sea was a bit rough going back, but no one got sick. The Campbell’s seem to enjoy their visit. We surely did enjoy them. The other nurse was on vacation so I had to take dispensary for a while until the girl could come back. I was sorry to interrupt her vacation, but there was no choice.
A piece of good news reached us upon our return to Lae from the conference. The little fish boat had sunk. It was sitting in the harbor at Lae. Someone was trying to prop up the roof poked a hole in it and it didn’t repair it right away. We had a good downpour as it can only rain in the tropics, and filled the boat with water. Fortunately, it was in shallow of water so that it could be bailed out and pulled up to short. The motor was taken out and put in oil. Seawater is so rough on motors. It will cost about $100 to repair, but I hope we’ve all learned a good lesson, while we were waiting in Lae, Al got the sideboards put on that he had been trying to get someone else to do. We really hope we can get this fishing business off the ground or out of the sea and into operation.
We were planning to have a practical school and Bible school at Malalo for many of the children that aren’t capable to go on in English. They certainly are not dumb and have a lot to offer. If only they could receive a little more training. Also, they need some training in Christian leadership and how to live a Christian life in the village. We really thought that we had a good deal in one of our girls that had been teaching at a girls school, but who had come back to her village. She’d been teaching sewing and some practical things- just what we wanted, the ELCONG assigned her to go to Bula. Other years they haven’t done things like this, assigned girls to other circuits or other jobs, without consulting their missionary in their people, but they surely have been frustrating us this year. I wish that you all would pray that it may be possible for such a school to be started. The need is so great. I don’t want to teach myself, but to get some responsible New Guinean to do it. It can do a much better job, but it is a matter of finding the right one.
Mom, please remind the people at first Lutheran, we cannot receive used clothing. The customs department took all the clothes out of the last box and burn them. If they include use clothes, they must list prices on them. We will have to pay duty, but at least we get them, this way by marking on the tag use clothes, they are automatically burned,
People at Lutheran can continue to send little books, especially picture books, and easy English books perhaps some classic comics about important people. Illustrated Bible pictures for the schools but the very most important thing of courses prayer. That little dog really has made a hit. Everyone is a bit frightened at first, then we show them how it works. Jandeng thinks it is such a good joke. He shows it to anyone that comes to the house the same time he is here. Jandeng is the church secretary for the circuit. Al calls him are real peacemaker. He has been so faithful to us and we are grateful for his services. I sent a picture of him ironing his laptop with a charcoal iron.
One more request. We weren’t farsighted enough to keep track of what picture we’ve taken and what pictures we need to take yet, could Dorothy, or someone make some sort of a list of the pictures we have so we can get some idea about what we should take.Tthe time will slip away and we won’t have some pictures that we would like to have taken. We get so used to seeing things that we forget that they would make a good picture.
I just heard Paula and Tommy talking about the story of Adam and Eve that I had been reading to them at bedtime. Paula was telling Tom he could be Adam and she would be God. She ended by telling him ‘get out of here and don’t come back’.
Paula asked me if I would teach her when we came to America. I told her that she would have another teacher. She wondered if I would sit down and someone would teach me with her. She wondered if we die who takes or carries us to ‘heaben’. And also asking if we would go to heaven first or America. Tommy keeps saying that he is the big boy so he can do this and so.
While we were gone, a lady was coming up the hill to the dispensary. She started to vomit blood and then died on the road up. She was all by herself. Her people came to get her and then no one would use the road for a few days for they are afraid of her illness. Most probably TB. The nurses explained that they quarantined the road.
The boy who had such a large gaping wound after driving into the sea and striking an old iron post is doing all right.
Mother, Romans 12 surely is a challenging chapter. I’ve read it several times since you mentioned it. May the Lord of love reign supreme in all your lives.
Love, Al, Ina.
Footnotes:
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolopendra_subspinipes
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trendelenburg_position In the Trendelenburg position, the body is lain supine, or flat on the back on a 15–30 degree incline with the feet elevated above the head.
Also, Paula has a specific memory of this incident where the woman was in intense pain and laying in our living room in the Trendelenburg position. Not sure why or how the bed got there. Maybe moved in for this incident?
3 Reents, Reverend Jack and Shirley, 1956-1958, 1962-1978. Admin., Builder, Evangelism
Jack and Shirly Reenes 1964. Visited Malalo once, Missionaries in the Buangs. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Campbell of Iowa
1964 Jan copy
To Sharon (Ina’s cousin)
You know how pokey I am. I certainly did receive the pictures of your family and I was very pleased to have them. I especially was glad to see how well Lori looks. She sure is a testimony to the healing power of God.
All three kids are asleep so I thought that maybe I could chat a bit. Thank you for your offer of something for Kristi. I was too late in writing as now she doesn’t need it, but we can’t get Karo syrup only an old corn syrup that I didn’t dare use on her. She didn’t like the sugar too well but now she’s outgrown her need for it. Our electricity doesn’t work just now, but we do have hopes of getting it repaired. We haven’t been able to try the projector yet, but I do hope it works. We just got our tape recorder back, but haven’t had a chance to try it yet for the same reason.
Still no sawmiller yet, but Al went to look over some of the timber and found some wonderful stands of trees and investigated a Dolmar saw. Maybe Bud knows what it is, and found that it should work very well for sawing up the logs on the spot. Now all of the big trees are still standing because people aren’t able to pull them out to the water way to get them to the mill.
You should have your house completed before we get home in 67 so we’ll come and see you.
We don’t really have seasons here. We are supposed to have a rainy and a dry season, usually the dry or summer season is in January and February. The first year we were here there didn’t seem to be much change then last year was very dry in fact, to drought proportions. And this year it has been pretty normal with lots of hot weather and enough rain to keep things growing.
Kristi has been the best baby and has grown so well. I really enjoy taking care of her. She has so many smiles for everyone and waits so patiently until I feed her. Only when she has a tummy ache does she make much of a fuss and so that I guess she is entitled. She has no teeth and doesn’t sit, stand, talk or walk, but she does add a ray of sunshine to all of our lives. She is a good testimonial to what I tell all the New Guinean mothers what they should do for their babies. They didn’t listen before but now I guess I’m qualified as an expert, but I am afraid that she has progressed so well in spite of what I might have done instead of because of it.
Paula is such a big almost 4 year old. I do get such a bang out of her conversation. I’m trying to interest her in some of things America children should play with, so that she won’t be too out of place when we get home, but she prefers the games of the kids around her. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it.
Tom, well, Tom is the one that adds spice alive. I guess we really should have named him, Dennis, but Tom will have to do. He does manage to get himself into more predicaments and then comes so lovingly and puts his arms around my neck. He’s hard to resist, but it must be done.
We just came back from a trip to the Highlands, to the one of the really outback stations to visit a couple that we came out to New Guinea with us (Vince and Barb Fricki). They live in a bush house in an area where cannibalism hasn’t entirely disappeared. They don’t hunt to kill usually, but do partake in a “mortuary feast “ by eating portions of the dead people cooked with their peg for a big meal.
From their house, we could see about 20 miles into a mountain valley that is still restricted to white men as no semblance of law and order has been established yet. Their problems are so different than ours. It is hard to believe that it is only about 200 miles or less apart. There are a few people with clothes, except for their little barks skirts for both the men and the women. Some of the men have gotten out to nearby government settlements, which is a walk and worked for some of them so they have some loin clothes (laplaps) and even a few walking shorts. It really will be funny to get back to the states and find all or at least most of the men and long pants. Now it is beginning to seem a little queer if they have long pants. The Australian men usually wear walking shorts and long knee socks for their office jobs. At first it looks so queer to us but now it’s does look quite familiar.
Al is now at the school for missionaries children in the mountains ( KLS boarding school at Wau), attending the annual conference of all the mission personnel. They discuss all of the problems and try to hash everything out. It was good for the missionaries to see that they aren’t the only ones with problems, and that some have even worse ones in ours.
May God enrich your lives, seek him first in all your activities, and may his love sustain and strengthen you all.
KLS a boarding school for the missionary kids located outside of Wau town. The missionaries held their annual conference here in January when the school was on break. The school year started the beginning of February, with a 2 week break in May and again in August and ended mid December. Paula and Tom attended here in 1972 and 1973. They flew by Cessna back and forth.
Love, Ina
1964 February 3 copy
Dear Mrs. Ardell
First, I’d like to say a very belated, thank you for the films that you included in a box that mother Erickson sent. We really, really did appreciate, and I know that you’d rather hear from Al, but I simply don’t have much luck anymore at getting him to do much better writing. It is a shame because he does a much better job of it than I.
I really do appreciate your interest in our work here. We have been pushing and prodding and finally after much ado, we do have our church finished and dedicated and in use. The attendance has been up considerably since we have a structure that will hold everyone and no one has to hunt for shade outside or shelter during a downpour. So much of it had to be done by hand and volunteer work that it has taken five years to finish. It is amazing how the attitude of the people have changed since it is done. Like they don’t have to be ashamed of their unfinished task, or if a burden was lifted. It won’t last long, but it is a nice change.
Our new dispensary is nearing completion. Our bush building has had it and I am most anxious to get in and get rest of our supplies moved into it. When the carpenter was putting on the door handles and locks on the doors he found that the piece of the rod that goes through the door on the handles was missing. So that means we have to write to the supply house and see if, they can get the right size and have them send. It will take a month or two at the quickest. Most probably it will have to be ordered from Australia, which will take a few more weeks. It is such a little things like this that make it a bit frustrating to work here. You just can’t run down to the store for what we might need. But now that we’ve gotten a bit used to it we are a bit more patient. After all, the work won’t come to an end while we are waiting.
Our dispensary is almost totally unfurnished. We have some cupboards, and a sink and a bench for people to sit on. I did have one of my nurses make some curtains. What we need is some buckets, a broom, a mop for keeping it clean and lantern for night surgery.
If any one had some usable glasses frames, we would appreciate them. We have several pastors and teachers that would be helped if they could get the frames.
Also a kerosene fund to keep the lamp lite.
Al wears out a pair of tennis shoes per trip.
Maybe ‘ keep Al in shoes fund’ would be an idea. We really did appreciate the films……
1964 February 3
Letter written by Ina Erickson from the Malalo Mission station to Durward and Estelle Titus Box 224 Route1, Carlos MN USA
Dear mother,
I hate to mention projects because they all cost money, but, I will make suggestions that might be helpful.
1. A child’s photograph – that is cranked by hand – that would play several speeds, and that we could take into the bush for some of our more distant villages, they are so hungry for entertainment.
2. We’d like very much to buy a portable organ we can get them out here for about $70-$100. So we could use it in school and in Sunday school and church.
3. The record from Augsburg publishing house – including the worship service. Vince had one, and it was so lovely to hear real church music. Besides our families and friends that is one thing we miss the most. it would be good for Paula and Tommy and for our English service for our English-speaking people.
4. Disposable syringes.
5. Funds for the clinic.
A. Glycerin for washing babies.
B. Cornstarch for heat rash.
C. Soap for washing babies.
I would charge bananas, taro, or coconut for them to buy, then put the money in an improvement fund or to buy more with.
6. Some funds for supplying powdered milk to children over a year old. After they are weaned, they don’t get any more milk. I’d like some for some of the aged that need protein so badly. I’d sell it to them too for half price and then it wouldn’t get wasted. Some of our teachers are starting to buy milk for their infants.
7. Funds for bucket showers – a bucket hung up with a sprinkler nozzle on it for our school and dispensary.
8. Instruction books for the organ. Some of these, John Thompson books and hymns written simply.
9. I have such a time keeping records in the dispensary. If some of the ladies could make a little books with oil cloth covers. When they’re closed they’d be 3 x 5 and put 15 to 20 leaves inside and stitch down the center of the back. 200 of each of four different colors – one for students – one for pediatrics, one for general, patients, and one for TB patients. And then a plastic box for them to fit into.
10. A film fund five to $10
11. A postage fund five to $10
12. A book fun $10
13. Make altar cloth and pulpit, cloths, and lecture is the same for the different colors of the church – violet, red and green, just plain with no decorations. I’ll have to measure again for dimension of the altar cloth.
14. Record advertised in LS Dash songs from the children’s chapel.
15. Black neck ties for our five pastors. Made out of a washable, cotton, wrinkle resistant fabric, such as sail cloth.
16. Black tailored lapse – for our pastors. It would take about 3 yards for each one. I don’t have a pattern, but I could possibly take one apart and cut it from that. Sailcloth woodwork well, but you know more what is available. Something crease, resistant, and washable.
These are only suggestions to be used as a guide. Everyone has been so! I hate to beg for more. Most of all prayers. That the Holy Spirit will fill there, and our lives to be lived for his honor and glory. No matter how small the accomplishments.
Thanks so much for your faithful, warmhearted letters they mean so much. Our deepest sympathy to dear Nick. May God strengthen and sustain him in these dark and lonesome. The ranks are really thinning. If someone sends a money order, be sure and tell us who it is from. The name is never included by the time it arrives here.
1964 February 11.
Letter from Ina Erickson to Estelle and Durward, Titus
Dear mom and dad,
Did you get my long letter about our vacation and the suggestions projects? If they are not specific enough, I’ll try again. We could use some pretty Christmas cards especially with religious pictures on them. I plan to paste the fronts on white paper and writing in Jabem versus on them. Then send them to our patients in the various hospitals. If we could ever get a good family picture, I’d like to have some to give away as so many people ask for them.
Al’s pants worked out very well and seem to be wearing well. We are all pretty fixed with clothes. Paula could use a warm pair of pajamas as the last flannel pair. We really have to stretch to get her into them. Some rainy nights it gets real cold, and they don’t keep covers on. Light pajamas we have enough of. Al’s flannel pajamas are pretty thin -the pair he uses when he makes his mountain trip.
Dispensary. Well, some young boys who were waiting to get their sores bandaged this morning, I gave them a hammer and told them they could start tearing down the old dispensary. They’d only take a few wacks at it and the whole thing collapsed. Fortunately, they weren’t inside. I hadn’t quite expected that. I was grateful it hadn’t collapsed while patients were inside. Maybe I’ll be able to get someone to build a ward room for patients that must stay overnight. The new dispensary isn’t done yet, but I moved everything over as I was sick and tired of going through the floor every other step. I was grateful that no one had broken a leg. We will have to paint and stuff with the medicine in the way, but, I just can’t get things moving. We did physicals on some of our schoolboys and girls today, about 38. We will have 60 left to do. Will do about 30 every week. Paula and Tommy sit and watch. I gave Kristi, her second DPT shot today. I asked Paula if she’d hold her and she said ‘don’t give Kristi a shot’. Then one of my nurses held her while I gave it. Paula was almost in tears as she watched her baby get shot. Tommy helped hold her and then wondered where his shot was.
Old and new dispensary
School Well school is started and we had a government school move into the area this year. They have a European teacher and no one bothered to find out what was needed or talk over with us what the situation was. We have prep schools in all the villages and grades one and two in English. We knew it was coming, so he influenced some of the councilman who are also church elders to standard third and fourth grades. That is what we have on our station school at Malalo. But we do need more as we only can take 100 of the 3 to 400 kids that get through grade 2 in the villages. Everyone thought -oh boy -here is a chance for our children to have, a European teacher and about 120 wound up over there. Beginning from kindergarten up to kids that are 16 to 17-years old. We went over on Monday and the teacher was swamped. No desks, no books, only a roof over a cement floor for the building. And he absolutely had no supplies. Will go over tomorrow again and try to straighten it all out. We have to track down one of our teachers because his home village won’t release him to the village he has been assigned to.
Phyllis is more talkative and can express a few of her peeves so is more tolerable to live with. We pray she will be happy with us and have tried to make her at home. She is such a lovely girl. We really look forward to your letter.
God‘s blessings love Al, Ina and the kids.
P S. The names of the sender are not enclosed in the money orders. Only the place and amount in pounds and shillings.
Phyllis Engebretsen. Teacher/Education. Bula girls School and Malalo elementary school. 1962-1979. Busameng village in the background looking north toward Lae and with Paula and Tom on the front steps of Malalo station house. Phyllis made the blue dress that Paula is wearing.