A Liberian Journey

Creator

Richard Pearson Strong

Date

9/30/26

Coverage

Tappi Town, Hinterland, Liberia

Transcription

September 30th, Tappi town.

Yesterday and today were largely spent in studying the medical cases that came for treatment and in examining the tabanid flies about here. There are quite a large number of cattle about and two horses. As a partial result there are considerable numbers of these flies. The species is a large one, 2 ½ cm. (one inch) in length with a green head. They inflict often a very painful bite, but when the cattle are around they do not trouble us much and they disappear at dusk. I examined twelve of them microscopically yesterday with George and only found in one two specimens of a small embryonic nematode in one of the flies, probably a chance infection. The cattle all look very healthy about here and I have not yet seen tsetse flies.

Yesterday afternoon I walked through the town, which was very similar to most other Liberian towns. As usual, I soon had a crowd of some three or four hundred people around me to whom I was evidently an object of much curiosity. We are living in a small hut some 400 yards from the town in the government compound. It (our house) is a new one and the walls are made of the timber of small trees. The walls were about to be plastered up with mud the day we moved in. If this had been done it would have been unbearable for us, as there would have been no air and little ventilation, but in its unfinished state it is very comfortable for us. It has three rooms. George and I are in one and Loring and Harold in the other two; and fancy, we have rattan mats for the floor. Is that not a luxury?

We eat and do our microscopical work on the veranda. We found here a man (black colored of course) named Taylor who is the most famous hunter in Liberia. He shot an elephant here last week and Harold and Loring have gone off today with him and several other native hunters to try and get an elephant while George and I are doing the work here. They left at six this morning and I hope they will have good luck. I shall have to wait until their return to go to the French border, as I want some pictures taken there and have no camera, as Loring has taken his graflex with him.

Type

Diary

Citation