BOPDHB History Whakatāne Hospital History Book | Page 31
Typhoid Fever
Our time at our base was only too short though, for in June we were very
worried regarding an outbreak of typhoid fever amongst the children of the
Poroporo Native School. The Department in Auckland was advised and the
necessary equipment again forwarded to us. The meeting house became the
ward for patients and facing it we erected our large marquee to be our living
quarters. The staff c0mprised two Maori nurses and myself, while the school
teachers did all they could to help us. Miss King took charge of the marquee
and did excellent work looking after our food problems and other comforts.
I cannot fully describe what we had to bear from some of the Maoris though.
For instance, one man stood outside the hospital fence calling us terrible names
and warning us not to go to Rewatu as he would shoot us. Of course, we simply
had to bring the sick from there in order to try and prevent the spread of the
typhoid cases. Some young Maori men who afterwards went to World War I
were a great help, bringing wood for our large fire which we built each night
near the marquee. Our good friend, Keepa Tawhio, the Maori policeman here at
that time, looked after us at night.
We had in all 30 cases and a very virulent type it was. Unfortunately, there