God's Needle

In 1957, freshly qualified nurse Lily Gaynor set sail for Guinea-Bissau, to live among the Papel tribe. Tuberculosis, malaria, and typhoid were rife. Children were grossly malnourished; witch doctors flourished. Lily set up a clinic under the mango trees, administering penicillin, which the people called "God's needle". Many villagers suffered agonizing toothache: Lily learned emergency dentistry. The book is filled with one arresting medical story after another. In the afternoons she learned Papel. In the evenings she invented an alphabet, and finally translated the entire New Testament. She faced considerable opposition. Witchdoctors cursed; new converts were threatened with death; senior colleagues opposed her medical efforts. Yet today Guinea-Bissau has one of the biggest national churches in West Africa. Author: Lily Gaynor with John Butterworth Publisher : Monarch Books; New edition (1 July 2013) Language : English Paperback : 208 pages ISBN-10 : 085721456X ISBN-13 : 978-0857214560