Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Wilberforce J. J. Arnold—“St. Helena's Greatest Friend”

2014; Elsevier BV; Volume: 89; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.01.032

1942-5546

David P. Steensma, Marc A. Shampo, Robert A. Kyle,

American Constitutional Law and Politics

Wilberforce John James Arnold was born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1867, the eldest son of a surgeon. He attended Methodist College and Queen's College (now Queen's University) in Belfast and qualified for medicine and surgery in 1894. His health was always somewhat frail, and in an attempt to strengthen his constitution, he spent a year away from his medical studies at sea on a clipper ship. His first medical assignment after qualification was assistant surgeon at a small hospital and a colliery in a coal district in Wales. In 1900, he moved to the isolated South Atlantic island of St. Helena, a small British colonial outpost most famous as the site of Napoleon's final, fatal exile. Arnold remained on St. Helena until his death, except for a brief residence in England in 1912 to obtain a public health diploma from the University of Oxford and a more lengthy overseas absence from 1914 to 1920—a period that included World War I (1914-1918) service with General Edmund Allenby (1861-1936) in Palestine, followed by a prolonged convalescence from malaria. In 1903, Arnold became the Colonial Surgeon of St. Helena, a poorly paid position where overwork was his constant companion, especially because the island was plagued by multiple epidemics during his tenure, including influenza, scarlet fever, diphtheria, and whooping cough. He was also a Justice of the Peace and involved in the affairs of the colonial government, serving temporarily as Acting Governor of the island several times after the death or departure of one of the regular governors. His publication list includes only a single case report, but his skills and lasting legacy were in the area of public health. During his service as St. Helena's surgeon, he modernized the island's sewer and water systems, campaigned against rats, taught the police how to administer first aid, introduced vaccination programs, and greatly improved the nutrition and health education of the islanders. No building could be built on the island without his explicit approval after a careful review of the structure's possible health effects. Arnold's tireless efforts paid off: the infant mortality rate and overall death rate on the island decreased dramatically between the commencement of his service in 1903 and his death 2 decades later. In January 1925, with his health failing, Arnold was awarded a CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) in the New Year's Honours, but he died later that same month of a cerebral hemorrhage. Tributes from patients published just after his death stated that he was a trusted and well-loved practitioner who frequently waived fees for his poorer patients and sometimes gave needy villagers money to help them through especially difficult times. After his death, a large granite memorial was erected by public subscription in the Grand Parade (the main plaza) of Jamestown, St. Helena's only town; the inscription describes Dr Arnold as “the greatest friend St. Helena ever had.” A stamp honoring Arnold was issued by St. Helena as part of the Quincentenary Celebrations in 2002, commemorating the discovery of the uninhabited island by Portugese explorers in 1502.