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	March 2004				The Hospital by the River by Dr Catherine Hamlin. Published by Pan Macmillan Australia 2003. RRP $29.95
		The Hospital by the River: A Story of Hope Reviewed by Jenny Matthews
			Ever since I could read, biography and autobiography have been a golden source of encouragement. This book is no exception. It is the story of the work of Dr Catherine Hamlin and her husband, Dr Reginald Hamlin, as told to author John Little. At times you can hear the narration but this only shows how keen John Little is to convey Catherine's story, and what a story it is! After qualifying as gynaecologists, Catherine (an Australian) and Reg Hamlin (a New Zealander) left Australia in 1959 on a short-term contract to establish a midwifery school in Ethiopia, but God had other plans for them. Some gynaecological conditions are no longer much seen in our society, due to excellent ante-natal care and good transport infrastructure, but they do occur today in countries we like to label 'Third World': fistula is one of them. Lifetime of incapacity On the back cover of the book fistula is succinctly described as occurring due to '...obstructed labour - a problem easily dealt with in the developed world by assisted delivery or caesarean section, but disastrous without medical intervention. ...[U]ntil the Hamlins began their work in Ethiopia, fistula sufferers were neglected and forgotten - a vast group of women facing a lifetime of incapacity and degradation.' Fistulae occur only rarely in some cancer sufferers in developed countries. This book has three major themes: the story of Reg and Catherine's upbringing and training at Medical School, the work in Ethiopia and being in that country during the sad times of the Communist overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie. Generally curable There is no modern introspection here, rather a graceful telling of the essential work of God in difficult circumstances. There is also a brief history of the treatment of this generally curable condition in the nineteenth century, by Dr J. Marion Sims in the U.S. By his persistence and the bravery of three African slave-women, Anarcha, Betsy and Lucy were helped to overcome the condition. There is a list of addresses for the Fistula Hospital Trusts in the back of the book and a short bibliography. Those at the CMS Summer School will remember Marcella Rodgers, a missionary in Indonesia, telling us not to read this book if we didn't want to be disturbed. I'm so glad I did read it and have made a donation to the work in Ethiopia. I also have been sent a video on the work of the Fistulae Clinic.