THE CANADIAN MEDICAL EXPEDITION TO EASTER ISLAND
Short Title METEI

The object of the Expedition is to carry out genetic and immunoeplderaiologic studies of an isolated population as the Canadian contribution to the International Biological Year under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization.

Professor S.C.Skoryna, Research Director and Associate Professor of McGill University will lead the expedition, which will consist of 32 scientists mostly from Canadian Universities, "but with representatives from Chile, the United Kingdom, the United States, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden.

The expedition will "be supported by the Royal Canadian Navy's mobile repair ship, HMCS Cape Scott, which will sail for Easter Island on November 16. The United States and Chilean members of the expedition will Join in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Balboa, Panama.

On arrival in Easter Island on approximately December 14, Cape Scott's personnel will establish a semi-permanent camp on the south-west shore Hanga Plko, the main settlement of the island. The expedition will be housed in collapsible aluminum trailers and will be equipped with an electric generator and a solar still to provide domestic water. The field work will take two months and will be completed by February 14, when the Cape Scott returns to the island after a good will tour of the West Coast of South America.

It is intended to leave the majority of camp buildings and equipment on the island to form a base for similar expeditions in the culture.

The Cape Scott will return to Halifax via the Panama Canal and Curacao, arriving in Canada on March 17,1965.

EASTER ISLAND

Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) called by the natives Rapa Nui is a 64 square mile island situated in the Southern Pacific. Although at one time Easter Island was highly volcanic, the numerous craters have not been active for many years.

The island is generally high and though precipitous in places, the hills are generally rounded with gentle slopes, and covered to their summit with vegetation. The eastern part of the island is covered with scattered rocks, which thin out to the northward where there is some sandy soil, used mainly for the cultivation of the sweet potatoes.

In 1722 Commodore Jacob Roggeveen, in the Dutch Ship, De Afrikaansche Galei discovered the island on Easter Sunday which the Commodore named it. Commodore Jacob Roggeveen christened his discovery in honor of the day and wrote in his log of the "remarkably tall stone figures.... (that) caused us to be filled with wonder." To many a smiling island of Polynesia, discovery brought not civilization but tragedy. On Easter it reached epic proportions. Roggeveen's one landing partly inexplicably opened fire on the bewildered islanders, leaving 12 of them dead and more wounded.

For the next 140 years ruthless adventurers brought violence, disease, and death to Rapa Nui. Then, in 1862, Easter Island's strange culture suffered its death blow.

Slavers swooped down and carried away about a thousand men to work the fetid guano deposits off the Peruvian coast, A few months later the Peruvian Government returned the 15 who survived. Small pox came with them, and the disease ravaged the remaining islanders.

When Roggeveen stepped ashore on the Navel of the World, as the people of Easter Island sometimes call their island, the population stood approximately 4,000. By 1877, it had dwindled to a scant 111. The last of the kings had died, and all memory of the past greatness lay crushed beneath the island's toppled shrines.
Peace finally settled over Rapa Nui when Chile annexed it in 1888. Today the Chilean Navy administers Easter Island and operates an Island-wide sheep farm, the sole organized industry. Its 40,000 sheep provide mean for the inhabitants and wool for export.

The children of Hotu Matu'a have once again multiplied until they number 1,011. Small Chilean Naval and Air Force detachments add to the population. They oversee equipment which automatically records data on tides, earthquakes and weather.

Easter Island's principal link with the outside world is a naval transport, 'Presidente Pinto', dispatched annually by the Chilean Government to Hanga Roa, the Island's only village. This transport carries supplies to last the people through the following year. It remains about two weeks, discharging cargo and loading the annual wool crop. Though faster Island has an airfield, it is used today only by occasional Chilean Air Force planes. However, Chile plans to convert it into a large international airport, a crossroads of the Pacific.

Easter Island Is 1978 nautical miles from Val Paraiso, Chile. There is a concrete wharf for landing craft at Hanga Roa. Easter Island has more horses than people, and babies start to ride as soon as they can toddle. She island has little potable fresh water— not a single spring or stream and only a few wells. Rain water supplies most wants, from washing to drinking. Each householder rigs an elaborate system of traps and pipes to channel every drop of rainwater into storage tanks.

A Naval doctor provides free medical care for the islanders, and a neat wooden schoolhouse, where nuns offer education through the sixth grade for some 250 island children. Easter Island families can buy surplus sheep from the government farm for 25¢ each. Fish, which abound offshore, supplement the islanders' supply of protein. Pineapples, melons, corn and bananas help round out their diet.
The inhabitants are Roman Catholic and Father Sebastien Englert is their missionary. One of a distinguished line of missionaries that began with Brother Eugene Eyracoud, who brought Christianity to the island in 1864-, Father Sebastian has ministered to the islanders for 26 years. A scientist and linguist, he has written books on Easter Island ethnology and archaeology as well as a dictionary of the language.

HMCS CAPE, SCOTT

HMCS Cape Scott is the first repair ship for fleet support to be commissioned in the RCN, This ceremony took place at Halifax on January 28, 1959. This ship has well equipped machine shops, electrical, electronic and sonar repair shops. Facilities are also provided for instrument and teletype repair. A helicopter repair shop, ordnance workshop, shipwright shop and foundry are also fitted on board.

The Cape Scott roved far in her first year of commission. She logged 11,963 miles in Journeys from the Caribbean to Newfoundland. Although she spent only 63 days at sea, an additional 41 were spent in isolated anchorages as she provided support to elements of the fleet on extended operations.

The first maintenance ship to be built in Canada's West Coast shipyards; she was launched on September 27, 1944, at the yards of Burrard Drydock Company, North Vancouver. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy as HMS Peachy Head on March 27,1945 at Vancouver, under the command of Captain C.K. Adam, DSO, RN. She left Esquimalt, B.C., on May 20, 1945, for San Francisco and on May 26 sailed from there for Pearl Harbour and the East Indies. The Beachy Head served with the Royal Navy until April 15, 1947, when she was loaned to the Royal Netherlands Navy and re-named the Vulkaan. She was returned to the RN in 1950, reverting to her name of Beachy Head. In 1952 she returned to Canada and the same year was re-named Cape Scott.

On her arrival in Canada, the Cape Scott was placed in reserve in Halifax. She was used to provide a limited amount of training to naval technical apprentices from HMCS Cape Breton, a sister ship, which lay alongside her in Halifax and served as the technical apprentice training establishment. In May, 1958, she was taken in hand for fitting out as a mobile repair ship, a role which she has played ever since.

In her role as transport and mother ship to the Canadian Medical Expedition to Easter Island, the Cape Scott has undergone considerable alteration and will carry additional landing craft to establish the party on Easter Island.

CAPE SCOTT STATISTICS.
Displacement: 10,270 Tons (Gross)
Speed : 10 Knots
Shaft Horse Power: 2,500 SHP
Length : 441` 6" L.O.A.
Beam : 57'

COMMANDER CHARLES ANTHONY LAW, DSC, CD, RCN COMMANDING OFFICER, HMCS CAPE SCOTT

Commander Charles Anthony (Tony) Law was born in London, England, in 1916, the son of a permanent force army officer, Major A.S.Law, RCR, and the former Maude Audette, of Ottawa, daughter of the Hon.Justice Audette of the Exchequer Court. He was living in Quebec City when he Joined the non-active peacetime militia and was called to active service at the out¬break of war in September, 1939. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in March, 1940.

In July, 1941, while serving with the Royal Navy, he was given command of a Royal Navy motor torpedo boat as a sub-lieutenant.

He received a Mention in Dispatches in February, 1942, for his part in the channel action against the German battleship "Scharnhorst" and was given a Second Mention for his part in fierce fighting off the Dutch coast in March, 1943, when he was acting Senior Officer of his flotilla. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross as a result of 15 successive actions during the Normandy coast landings in which his flotilla experienced heavy losses in ships and personnel.

Commander Law is well known in art circles as a painter in oils. He presented his first one-man show in Quebec in 1938 and exhibited his paintings at the Royal Canadian Academy and the Montréal Art Association the same year. In 1939 and again in 1951 he won the Jessie Dow prize for oils exhibited in the open show of the Montreal Art Association. From December, 1943, to January, 1944 he held an appointment as a special war artist and in June, he became an official war artist.

Following the war he served in HMCS Uganda (cruiser), commanded HMCS Antigonish (ocean escort) and was first lieutenant commander in HMCS Magnificent (aircraft carrier). Commander Law was executive officer of the former RCN Artic Patrol ship Labrador from 1955 to 1957 and later served on the staff of the Commander Military Sea Transportation Service, Atlantic Area, New York City.

He later served as Director of Service Conditions and Welfare at Naval Headquarters, Ottawa, and in September. 1961, he was appointed in Command of HMCS Sioux (destroyer escort). Cdr. Law took command of HMCS Cape Scott (escort maintenance ship) in May, 1964.

MEMBERS OF THE MEDICAL EXPEDITION TO EASTER ISLAND

P. BEIGHTON - Medical Examination and tropical diseases - London, England.
A. BOUDREAULT - Virology Montreal, P.Q.
G. DOITOSCO -  Nutrition - Santiago, Chile
E. EFFORD -  Biology - Vancouver, B.C.
Harold GIBBS -  Parisitology - Montreal, P.Q.
G. NOGRADY -  Bacteriology - Montreal, P.Q.
R.J. MEIER - Anthropology - Madison, Wis., USA
J. MATHIA - Zoology - Vancouver, B.C.
G. MONTANDON - Sociology -  Montreal, P.Q.
D. MONTANDON -  Medical Examination and Laboratory - Montreal, P.Q.
Davia MURPHY  -  Medical Examination and Zoonoses - Montreal, P.Q.
Richard ROBERTS - Medical Examination and Cardiopulminary Diseases - Halifax, N.S
Elvlnd  MYHRE -  Medical Examination and Pathology - Oslo, Norway
H.E. REID -  Medical Examination and Pediatrics - Toronto, Ont.
M. ROBERTS -  Medical Examination and Genetics - Halifax, N.S.
M.F. GLYNN -  Medical Examination and Haematology -  Toronto, Ont.
E. GJESSING -  Work Physiology -  Bergen, Norway
Bjorn T. EKBLOM -  Pulmonary Function -  Stockholm, Sweden.
A.G. TAYLOR -  Odontology and Dental Impressions -  Halifax, N.S.
S.C. SKORYNA -  Director and Gastrointestinal diseases - Montreal, P.Q.
Sergio ALVARADO -  Radioactivity and Physics -  Santiago, Chile.
G. WILKINSON -  Radiography and Anthropometric measurements -  Montreal, P.Q.
J.A. EASTON -  Physical plant and Communications -  Montreal, P.Q.
R.0. MOLSON -  Solar Energy Distillation Unit and Economics - Montreal, P.Q.
G. HRISCHENKO -  Radio Communications -  Windsor, Ont.
Carl  MYDANS -  Photography -  New York, USA
A.M. ECCLES -  Research Assistance and Interpretation -  Halifax, N.S.
M.O. KING -  Research Assistance Halifax, N.S.
M.I. GRIFFITHS -  Research Assistance and Interpretation -  Montreal, P.Q.
R. DWYER -  Research Assistance and Interpretation -  Ottawa, Ont.
C. HACKER -  Research Assistance -  Surrey, U.K.
F. JOYCE -  Research Assistance -  Halifax, N.S.
R. FULTON -  Mechanical Work and Electricity -  Halifax, N.S.
H. CROSSMAN  - Mechanics and Electricity -  Halifax, N.S.

THE FOLLOWING IS THE SCHEDULE FOR THE EASTER ISLAND CRUISE

ARRIVE                  PLACE                            DEPART
                      Halifax, N.S.                AM 16 Nov. 1964
PM 23 Nov. 1964      San Juan, P.R.                AM 26 Nov. 1964
AM 30 Nov. 1964       Cristo Bal                   AM 30 Nov. 1964
PM 30 Nov. 1964        Balboa                      AM 2 Dec. 1964
PM 14 Dec. 1964     Easter Island                  AM 23 Dec. 1964
AM 31 Dec. 1964    Valparaiso, Chile               AM 8 Jan. 1965
AM 9 Jan. 1965     Conception, Chile               AM 15 Jan. 1965
PM 18 Jan. 1965    Antafagasta, Chile              AM 23 Jan. 1965
PM 26 Jan. 1965      Callao, Peru                  PM 2 Feb. 1965
AM 11 Feb. 1965      Easter Island                 AM 15 Feb. 1965
PM 26 Feb. 1965         Balboa                     AM 1 Mar. 1965
AM 1 Mar. 1965        Cristo Bal                   PM 1 Mar. 1965
AM 5 Mar. 1965         Curacao                     AM 8 Mar. 1965
AM 17 Mar. 1965      Halifax, N.S.
 

Notes

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