In a year or two, my eldest child will reach the age at which "serving" a mission (aka selling memberships to the corp.) will be a possibility, and I know travel to places with less-than-desirable health care could be a concern. In my browsings across the web, I recently encountered a reference to this:

"Where There Is No Doctor" by David Werner - https://store.hesperian.org/prod/Where_There_Is_No_Doctor.html

a book purportedly filled with info to address medical issues if access to medical professionals is not nearby.

Does anyone have any experience with this (pseudo?-)medical tome? Is it what it claims to be? If not, are there other resources that could be vital to the health of my offspring should they find themselves in a remote location with a medical emergency?

(There is a thread here that suggests the book is not great - https://www.exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,314125,315327 - and instead suggests the book "How to Shit Around the World" by Jane Wilson-Howarth)

Ha ha ha...

That is the book I was given when I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Armenia. It was pretty useless in 1995, mainly because if I recall correctly, it was written more for people who were living out in the bush.

And yes, "How to Shit Around the World" is a great book.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2019 02:02AM by knotheadusc.

Yes, the thread I linked to includes your comments from long ago regarding both books. I'd only recently heard about WTIND, and it sounds like it could be useful...again, I'm just thinking ahead of how I might arm my TBM children against ineptitude (or worse, uncaring) on the part of their mission leaders should they decide to go on missions in the coming years.

It's a very basic book, though, with primitive illustrations and explanations. It seemed to be more for educating people who live out in very rural areas than actually providing useful information about what to do when you get sick or injured. It has advice like not to put feces on open wounds.

I would think someone going into a less developed part of the world for a purpose other than teaching would want something a little more high speed. How to Shit Around the World is written more for the traveler than for primitive people the traveler might meet while on the road.

You are powerless to talk them out of going out to spread the plague of Mormonism?

numbersRus Wrote:
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> You are powerless to talk them out of going out to
> spread the plague of Mormonism?


stillanon Wrote:
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> Not to insult your intelligence, but this needs
> repeating. You do understand the purpose of a
> mission-right? It's to indoctrinate the missionary
> into a lifetime of paying tithing. You get
> that-right? ...


kathleen Wrote:
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> dp, I gotta ask: IS THIS A SPOOF ????
>
> Do you really mean you would send a teenager to a
> place where there is no medical care, and you're
> looking for the right book? ...


(I've been putting off responding to the trash talk...maybe it would be wise if I continued to put this off, but it's late and my judgement may be impaired; I'll bite.)

Why the insults? And why the seeming questioning of my non-belief, simply because my original question might have implied I'm not doing my darndest to discourage them -- or even prevent them -- from going on a mission if they so choose?

I was born into a TBM family, I had no choice in my upbringing, and at one time I myself was a TBM. I served a mission. I knew and understood the hoops I was expected to jump through. I know the major focus of a mission, from the Church's point of view, is to retain and strongly cement that individual in their role as a contributing member of the church, easiest measured in tithing dollars but also as a source of free labor. (Hell, the corp nearly got me locked in...I was in my 30's when my shelf broke and I saw my way out the door, part of which I owe to the existence of RfM.)

Would I recommend my children "serve" missions? No, and I discourage it as I'm able (the wife is still TBM; I have to mete out discouragement in small doses). But, I acknowledge that they are individuals that can and will make their own decisions. I'll contribute nothing financially to their missionary service, at least not via the "approved" means of contributing dollars through the ward missionary fund. If they're really determined to go, and if they find a way to finance the thing on their own, I won't stand in their way. (On the other hand, if they go, once they get out there, I won't let them starve, so I'll mail/wire/transfer money directly to them as needed.)

The possible event of any of them serving missions is still a couple of years off into the future; you could hardly even call my asking questions "preparation". I was merely asking if the book I stumbled across could be a useful reference should the find themselves in a medically desperate situation. My own mission was stateside, and I effectively had no risk of unmanaged medical emergency, so I don't have the same context of health risks that can arise as compared to somebody who was in a developing nation.

Nothing in the topic I've started (or at least that I thought I'd started) merits the insults.

Setting them loose in a primitive society, or a society primitive to the North American POV, is a danger you can perceive. To serve in a country that we would label as 'backward' is a somewhat known risk and parents, mission leaders and the missionaries can take it into account.

You did touch on what I consider to be THE great danger of missionary work when you referred to protecting "...my TBM children against ineptitude (or worse, uncaring) on the part of their mission leaders". This is can be a hidden, pernicious danger!

There is this conceit that Serving The Lord as a missionary creates a one-to-one contract with God. The missionary serves valiantly and in return God protects him!

Which then sets up this reverse position: If a missionary develops a 'condition' that is debilitating and it slows him/her down, then it's the missionary who must have failed to fulfill his/her part of the bargain! Because of course, God would NEVER fail to do His part!

And if the missionary buys into this belief, serious consequences can and have happened. So a missionary's health takes a slow but progressive turn for the worse and rather than rack up time, mileage and expenses looking for a medical explanation and solution, the missionary can fall into the "I gotta work harder, fast more, pray more!" which is too often the path urged on him by mission leadership.

"God will take care of you if you are doing His will!" says the MP and his wife, and the APs, etc. "Do what is Right and God will bless you!"


Fortunately, the new rule, that missionaries can make personal voice contact (and often visual) every week, should help to cut the number of times my wicked scenario takes place. But only if the parents put their kids' health ahead of their belief that God is putting the kids' health first. Wouldn't it be horrible if every week a kid suffering from some treatable malady was told by his or her mother, "Aw, quit yer bellyaching and fast, pray and work harder so that God can make you strong again!"

I think your last line is very likely. Could double the risks.

The parents of the missionary consider their very family honor, their all-important Mormon facade, to be at stake and are very likely to use their child as a pawn as much as the MP and his wife may. The shame of an early return is too much to bear for them.

Not to insult your intelligence, but this needs repeating. You do understand the purpose of a mission-right? It's to indoctrinate the missionary into a lifetime of paying tithing. You get that-right? The church is a 100 billion dollar MLM. With vast financial and real estate holdings. They don't care if a missionary converts 15 suckers from "shit hole countries", that can't pay tithing. They care about Elder Schmoe's indoctrination, who will pay tithing on his 70- 200K future income, forever. All, while making money from his parents paying for the privilege of being a missionary. They don't care about the kids health,they are just a number, they are expendable.

Bingo.

I second these statements. The Youth Mishie program of the cult is child or teen abuse, however you want to call it. It is wrong on so many levels, and the cult is nothing but a big bully sending these young, trusting, naive kids out to do what adults, if they so decide they want to, should be doing.

I encourage you to do all you can do to share the abusive facts with your child.

I remember reading that book when I was a missionary in the Philippines (86 - 88). That book was actually pretty helpful to me because I was out in the province for most of my mission. It had a lot of information on how to prevent disease all from a "what you can do about disease prevention in the boondocks" perspective. (BTW - Boondock is a Tagalog word for "Mountain")

One thing that could be dangerous about the book is that young men might try to solve medical issues at home rather than seeking actual medical help. It is like the saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing". There are many ways the human body can be damaged and solid medical help is necessary for treating many of them.

The chapter on how to deliver babies out in the field should be avoided. My wife is a labor and delivery nurse and I have heard many horror stories of failed home-births and infant deaths from home births gone wrong.

At least I was able to prescribe my own antibiotics by simply knowing the names of them and what ones would be appropriate for a given ailment. Even still, that sort of casual knowledge of such things can be dangerous. Under-prevention of bacterial infections can make things a lot worse.

In the Philippines back in the day (and in the province) i was able to get most drugs by simply asking for them and paying for them. Sort of scary looking back.

Anyway, there's my recommendation...should be clear as mud.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/21/2019 06:13PM by praydude.

Homebirth is the norm in a lot of the world and some knowledge is generally better than none. Babies die in hospital births too, of course. I attend hospital and homebirths and some of the most dangerous are enroute to the hospital with no one around who has any knowledge or confidence. Basics such as keep baby warm, not cutting the cord immediately, stop the car snd pull over somewhere safe, etc. These simple things can save lives. :-)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/24/2019 01:20AM by kerri.

dp Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In a year or two, my eldest child will reach the
> age at which "serving" a mission (aka selling
> memberships to the corp.) will be a possibility,
> and I know travel to places with
> less-than-desirable health care could be a
> concern. In my browsings across the web, I
> recently encountered a reference to this:
>
> "Where There Is No Doctor" by David Werner -
> https://store.hesperian.org/prod/Where_There_Is_No
> _Doctor.html


dp, I gotta ask: IS THIS A SPOOF ????

Do you really mean you would send a teenager to a place where there is no medical care, and you're looking for the right book?

Try reading CES letter by Jeremy Runnells.