D-2-C-32
Larry Schacht letter to Forbes Burnham on internship, August 6, 1977
P.O. Box 893
Georgetown, Guyana
6 August, 1977
Honorable Prime Minister Forbes Burnham
Public Building
Brickdam, Stabroek
Georgetown, Guyana
Dear Honorable Prime Minister:
I was wry pleased to learn yesterday from the Chief Medical Officer of Guyana, Dr. Baird, that I will soon be able to finish my internship in Guyana. I look forward immensely to this prospect, and know I will learn about diagnosis and treatment of the health problems of the people here.
My desire to serve as a doctor in Guyana is due to the positive effect Bishop Jim Jones has had on my life and the love and respect for this country and its government he has imparted to each of us. I came from an upper middle class environment of self-centered capitalism. Bishop Jones completely reoriented my life toward socialism and was also responsible for my going to medical school. The bishop caused me to love Guyana before I ever saw it.
I intend to work here without salary because of Bishop Jones’ example. He has brought our entire medical team to serve in Guyana, and we each intend to devote our lives entirely to this goal. We want to make Guyana our home. After completing my internship, I would be honored to work in the hospital at Matthews’ Ridge, as Dr. Baird discussed with me.
We also have two premedical students here. If there are no medical training programs here within a year or two, we would like them to go to Cuba to study under a socialist discipline, rather than in the materialistic environment of the U.S. or Canada. These students have rejected that allurement already in order to come to Guyana, like Bishop Jones, we are all in agreement with your plan to get advanced training in Cuba.
We truly appreciate being able to live in this fine country and to anticipate many happy endeavors here, serving and cooperating with the government
Cooperatively and sincerely yours,
Laurence E. Schacht, M.D.
Dr. Ptolemy Reid
Minister Hamilton Green
Minister Frank Hope
Minister Leonard [Desmond] Hoyte
Minister Hubert Jack
Minister George King
Minister Vibert Mingo
P.S. Of course, in regard to our premedical students studying in Cuba, it is requisite that they bring their skills back to Guyana.
—–
D-2-C-33
[Editor’s note: This letter is a duplicate of the previous page, although the P.S. does not appear here.]
—–
D-2-P-6
Mike Prokes memo on licensing of Larry Schacht to practice medicine, April 1978
From: Prokes
April 12th (approx.)
Meeting with Medical Advisory Committee re: licensing of Larry.
14 committee members present, including Dr. Baird (the highest official present.)
Our people: Prokes, [Tim] Carter, Debbie T. [Touchette], & Sharon [Amos]
We started things off by stressing how vital the medical services are that we’re providing. We told them about the ineptness of Hope [Frank Hope, Minister of Finance], about Marco work, about reversing negative feelings toward the government, about taking people in and bringing others out, about the Ambassador inviting a prominent doctor to come here as well as dr. that worked with Dr. Pap, about Larry being called a modern day Albert Schweitzer. They let us talk about all these things in detail. We also mentioned how we have both saved lives and prevented permanent disabilities. When I started to give examples of some of the more serious cases Larry has treated, I was interrupted by [name whited out] and told that Larry’s competence was not in question. What was in question was the matter of his serving an internship so that he could be licensed. There were two doctors seated next to Dr. Baird who were obviously hostile and argued strictly from a legal standpoint. They said, what happens when so something goes wrong and we’re drug into court and your doctor has no license. I told them it was within there power to grant the license. That since they already said they didn’t doubt Larry’s competence, they should license him. They said they didn’t want to establish a precedent like that, where someone would be licensed without serving a year’s internship. They stuck to these points – the legality of the matter and the precedent factor. Then they told us to propose the program by which Larry would satisfy the requirement. The vocal ones would not accept the proposal that the internship be served in short intervals. One of them proposed the idea of an exchange whereby they would send a doctor in to replace Larry while he came into do internship. I believe the idea was to locate the replacement in Matthews Ridge. There was discussion among themselves as to whether anyone was now available to serve as a replacement in the interior. They said they would have to work that out if this was what was decided on by us. Though several seemed sympathetic to us, they didn’t speak up as much as they were probably intimidated by the others. I did get the impression, however, that there was near unanimity unanimity that the internship must be served. One guy who I thought was sympathetic said casually to me after the meeting that it would be in our best interests to take the time to do this. During the meeting, another doctor said to others that we should be allowed to have our doctor work at his own risk since we had faith in his competence and it seemed difficult to come to any agreement on the internship. However, he didn’t say whether he meant serving just our community or outsiders as well. He didn’t qualify his statement and he did know that we serve outsiders now. But we didn’t think at the time to ask him if he meant specifically just our people or everyone. His statement was pretty much passed over. I personally didn’t understand the ramifications of it or even if he said it out of hostility – but that was the impression I had. Carter doesn’t think he was hostile. Baird wasn’t as hostile as I expected but he was pushing the internship hard because he said Larry needed to become acquainted with procedural matters – filling out forms, paperwork, getting to know certain people – bullshit stuff. When we said that it would cost lives if Larry had to leave for any extended period, the response was cold. Similar to the way Baird responded some time back. One guy even said that perhaps a few would die but that it’s more important in the long run that Larry go through the proper procedure to get licensed to avoid problems for us and Guyana. And so it went. It was left where we would submit a proposal to Baird. We tried not to show hostility during the meeting without backing off our position. It did get a little heated during a good portion of the meeting. After it was over we handed out the new brochure to everyone and tried to talk with whomever we could as people were leaving. I’m afraid it looks like an impasse.
—–
D-2-P-26A
Sharon Amos Report of meeting with two Guyana doctors regarding Larry Schacht, likely April 1978
Sharon Amos
Medical meeting (Mike [Prokes], Tim [Carter], Debbie [Touchette], Sharon)
– Dr Sarjoo and Dr. Sookrha were so hostile it was unbelievable, they even were hostile at us because Dr. Baird gave Larry a provisional license and said he shouldn’t be able to practice in Guyana, said even if people died it still was a matter of not making any exception to a rule as they wouldn’t be able to practice in US
– Dr. Chin wasn’t hostile and is the one that was willing to make an exception in the first place but he didn’t argue with the hostile ones and seemed willing to go along with the majority
– Dr. Peggy King (after I made a speech on humanitarianism – I said that we of course wanted Larry to have his internship and so did Larry want that, but we needed some humanitarian suggestion so that the region isn’t left with babies dying of gastro etc), she responded quite well to that and said to the others/ let us for humanitarian reasons think of something
Mrs Sandiford stated that a solution might be to send another doctor in (tho she wasn’t the first to suggest that), but she didn’t think Jonestown would go for it as she was there to visit and didn’t feel people wanted that (she came with Dr. Baird and the team) Dr. Jaipaul was very hostile at first/ I cried because it seemed so hopeless and the people seemed so evily immoral, and that seemed to bother him and then he was the one to suggest an exchange/ he said it wouldn’t hurt Georgetown as they’d be gaining a doctor and so they could afford to spare one to go out to Matthews Ridge
– I said (to deter them from this) that Larry put in many hours/ but they claimed of course any doctor they sent would have to be on 24 hour emergency hours
– I told them that I thought they shouldn’t have to change their regulations (as they are so worried about precedent), but they should make an emergency regulation that when it involves an area like the jungle where there are no other alternatives, then they could make a license on that “emergency basis” only
– I said that way if they had any other doctors who would volunteer on the basis Larry has done, that could help in certain regions where there is no cars / they didn’t argue with this actually tho some still insisted that the rule is the rule and that it would be best for all in the long run
– I said that Larry’s experience was certainly equivalent to an internship if he could go thru what he’s done (said he had records of it) with someone/ they didn’t argue his competence but claimed they didn’t think he had the right to do a caesarian like he did (even when we said it was an emergency, they said he should have flown the woman in – tho we said it was too late), / they said he could practice at his own risk (this was mostly the two hostile ones that pushed his hard)
– but even Dr. Baird did a trip on it, saying that he had tried to make a compromise but in the long run (even if a few babies died), it would be better for Larry to get his license after internship, and then he could learn how “we do things here”
– they even made a snide remark about his consulting with doctors all over the world/ said if he came into Georgetown to get his internship/ he could consult with Georgetown doctors and learn how they do things/ he said it was “embarrassing” for us (didn’t specify exactly what was embarrassing)
– they looked at the pictures I showed them of Jonestown and we passed out our pamphlets but they wouldn’t take the time to hear our medical examples of what Larry has done/ that’s when they said, they didn’t doubt his competence
– they said he shouldn’t expect special treatment – we said that didn’t seem quite right when he worked 20 hours a day voluntarily and I mentioned Ken Green head of the Kaituma PNC and how his baby died from gastro etc / Tim Carter got furious and we had to quiet him down.
– they said we’d have to meet with them again but the only alternative they came up with was to send another doctor in to replace Larry so he could get his internship / I wonder if we insisted on that (for once playing their bluff, I wonder what they’d do. It’s hard to believe they’d be able to make a doctor, who could live in Georgetown, go into the Interior right now being that people seem to prefer Georgetown.
(I stared at many of the people in the room in the eyes to see how they faced themselves in their obvious immorality when in their own agenda they had a statement about Georgetown hosp. being a total hell hole), and the two hostile men wouldn’t look me in the eyes at first/they shifted their eyes hither and you. Finally when I stared at them they seemed extremely uncomfortable – they reminded me of henchmen at an execution. And then like always there were those who sit passive during hangings, showing no particular response. Only one person said that the law should be changed (over)
—–
D-2-P-26B
and that was Alli, but at the end even he said that it would really benefit Larry to do his internship
—–
D-2-Q-1B
Final page of undated medical report by Jonestown doctor Larry Schacht
because of drinking water and juices frequently. He has symptoms [illegible line] several months of minimal to moderate diastolic hypertension. It is controlled to a diastolic of about 90 with hydrochlorothiazide [illegible word] every day. Potassium Chloride is given at 40MG every day. It was considered, because of return of episodes of hypoglycemia (told ten years ago that he may have an insulinoma) and concurrent [illegible] of hypertension, that a multiple [two illegible words] in single neoplastic process was possible. The blood sugar has not taken steep dives in recent weeks, but it is usually about [illegible]. It is desires that his intermittent fever be elucidates. Your consideration would be gratefully received. There has been a suggestion made that a local parasite (not known if helminthic or not) may cause such a pulmonary syndrome. Again the consideration of lung cancer is essential to rule out and cytology is to be continually evaluated.
Sincerely yours,
/s/ Laurence Schacht, M.D.
Laurence Schacht, M.D.
—–