Medical Missionary Work in Brazil
When Dr. A. L. Gregory and his wife set sail for Brazil last year, no one knew just what the prospects might be for medical missionary self-support. These workers, however, went out believing that somehow the way would be opened for them to maintain themselves while qualifying for practice in Brazil. The following letter to the Mission Board tells something of their experiences and of the field:— Our trip to Rio was very pleasant, the sea being smooth and the weather agreeable. We found the city not so hot as we had expected, and not at all a bad place in which to live. It will be a long, hard task to secure the right to practice either medicine or dentistry around Sao Paulo, Santos, Rio de Janeiro, or other cities in these states. Even in the interior, without a Brazilian diploma one practices at a risk. The state government requires an examination in the Portuguese language, as well as in medicine, the latter being somewhat behind the times. However, if a man passes a good examination, such is their dislike to foreign medical men, it is said, that the Brazilian Medical Board will scarcely allow him to pass. But if a man is determined and has patience, he will secure a diploma in time. Nurses must also pass an examination, but it is much easier. Without a medical diploma one cannot give even baths for medicinal purposes. But we are confident that when the time comes to open treatment rooms, the Lord will open the way. In the states controlled by the Germans the restrictions are not so severe. We are studying the language, and hope to be able to pass a Brazilian examination some day. The Brazilian people are very hard to reach with a new truth. The majority of them are ignorant even of reading and writing, and many of the women are habitual users of great quantities of tobacco and liquors. The most common form of wines and other liquors and a native drink made from sugar cane are used almost universally, on all occasions. A kind of tea, called mate, and very strong coffee are partaken of freely, the coffee several times a day. As a result of bad moral conditions, the race, although increasing rapidly in numbers, is deteriorating very fast. The men especially are small and slight, pale and emaciated, with their minds beclouded and their reason and judgment undeveloped. Disease, as the result of uncleanliness and immorality, is exceedingly prevalent. Industry is not a prominent characteristic of the Brazilians. The women seem even more lazy than the men. The house of the lower class contains very little, and that little not neatly kept. We greatly need workers for the Portuguese. A few of them have accepted the truth, but they need training, and we have no place to give it to them. We need persons to assist us in their training. Brazil is an immense field. Its territory equals that of the United States, and its population is estimated at fifteen million. This, however, is only an estimate; for it is impossible to know exactly. The country districts are as thickly settled as the more sparsely settled districts in the United States. The greater portion of this territory is untouched, for want of workers. Would that God would put it into the hearts of some of our people to come here and live the truth, and help these people to find Jesus Christ. Since beginning this letter we have come to Alto Gaspar, where the school is located, waiting for the general meeting which soon convenes here. We are staying temporarily in a board shanty, in which the circulation is excellent, the wind inside at times being almost equal to that on the outside. It is thatched with leaves, and has small doors for windows. The ceiling is minus, except in one room; we have two rooms and a kitchen. Our floor is warped boards,15unnailed, which spring and move around at every step. Our stove is a pile of bricks in one corner of the kitchen, with a cast-iron door built into one side and another of cast iron fitted into the top. Our bed, tables, and benches are all homemade. This is the sum total of our furniture; but we get on very nicely. I suppose we are far more comfortable than our Saviour was, and, perhaps, than some of our brethren are. This place is in the state of Santa Catharina. Nearly all the people here are German, as are most of our brethren; so we are studying that language also at present. Wherever we are in Brazil, a knowledge of the German language will be very useful; for there are many Germans here who cannot speak Portuguese. Some of these are at the school with Brother Lipke. He is doing a grand work for his students and the brethren in the vicinity. We know that you will not forget this field, but will remember us at the throne of grace.