Doctor Ed Picardi South Dakota

Dr. Edward Picards Work in Togo

Dear colleagues and friends,

I hope that your 4th of July was enjoyable. July 4th is not celebrated in Togo but the missionary doctors met up and we had a great African-type camp-fire over the weekend.

Your afternoon of 4 July has been an operating day and also a little gloomy because of two deaths. One was a young fellow who dropped off his roof and then hit his head. He died before he reached the hospital. That sure isn't particular to Africa but whenever I find this type of item it makes one think about. I doubt fellow awakened that afternoon thinking to himself that he planned to become dead before dinner. Only Our Lord knows such a stuff.

The other death was just another 2 month old girl who died from malaria. All us missionary doctors just take malaria pills but the populace at large doesn't. Over time, because of this everyday innoculations of malaria they get out of daily mosquito bitesthey develop a bit of a tolerance. The youngsters however haven't developed the intolerance. Mosquitos definitely kill more People in Africa than lions, buffalo, etc.. All together.

We now have perhaps not amputated that young boy's leg. The Togolese OR team have begged us to hold off as long as achievable. Sadly, here on account of their small income for each family this younger boy would become a burden to your family members and possibly eventually ostracized.

In town here run by missionaries can be just a school for the blind comprised of many blind kids that have been orphaned as your family can't support them. The work the missionaries perform there I think is substantially harder than anything else I do here at the clinic.

It's not all gloom because we've been having many, many successes. The 15 year-old girl I told you is doing well and it looks as though she should be able to hold the rest of her uterus and one leg. It will definitely be Lord's intervention whether or not she gets pregnant again.

We did another C department at which the child came from butt end first. I assume that's where Lawyers and politicians result from.

I think I've written probably enough. Thank you to your continuing support and prayers.

Most sincerely,

Dr Ed Picardi, M.D.