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Dr. P .H. Joubert, M.D., author of the internationally published article referenced in the above-mentioned textbook has, as Professor with the Dept. of Pharmacology & Therapeutics at the Medical University of South Africa (Medunsa) been responsible for most of the epidemiological work in the shamefully neglected field of local indigenised medical toxicology. In spite of Joubert (and others) relentlessly attempting for almost three decades to draw attention to this serious problem, practically nothing has been done to address this highly suspect apartheid oversight. Who needs a Third Force, when muti-medicine and a MCC blind eye to the problem will suffice ?

In fact some of Prof. Joubert's successors and the medical press have tried to play down the matter, eg. Dr. D.H Brand, is mentioned in an article, "Accidental poisonings rare in herbals", which refers to follow-up work at Medunsa as suggesting that only a small percentage of overdose or poisoning occurs with traditional medicine. (Medical Chronical, Nov. / Dec.1993) The current department head, Prof W.J. du Plooy also seems to be content to play down the statistics by interpreting them in the most meaninglessly favourable light, (personal communication, 16 Feb.1998) which does nothing to speed a solution, but rather tends to bury the problem. Interestingly Du Plooy is a Medical Research Council funding recipient for "Traditional medicines as part of the national drug policy", as previously were some of Joubert's projects, so the authorities cannot plead ignorance as a result of claimed obscure research.

What then are the facts? Prof. Joubert in his earliest work (that we know of), undertook a retrospective comparative epidemiological study of acute poisonings at the teaching hospitals of the Orange Free State, 1970-1976, which revealed that among whites, medical drug poisonings predominated, whilst priorities among the developing black community, (direct quote), were prevention of pesticide, paraffin, carbon monoxide (indoor fires) and traditional medicine poisonings . (Joubert, P. H., "Toxicology units in developing countries: different priorities?" J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1982 Jul; 19(5))

In a subsequent project covering 1981-1982 at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, Pretoria, it was determined that whilst 18 % of all acute poisonings were due to traditional medicines, 86.58 % of all deaths from acute poisoning were as a result of poisoning with traditional medicines and it was concluded that "Traditional toxicology services (as found in developed countries), primarily geared towards the management of cases of drug poisoning, are inappropriate to the needs of developing communities." (Joubert P, Sebata B, "The role of prospective epidemiology in the establishment of a toxicology service for a developing community." S Afr Med J 1982 Nov 27; 62(23))

In a continuing project covering 1981-1985, also at Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, it was once again determined that the main causes were paraffin (59 %), but with low mortality (2.1 %), whilst poisoning with traditional medicine resulted in a high mortality of 15.2 % and accounted for 51.7% of all deaths, which were always accidental. Vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pains were the most frequently encountered symptoms, while lungs, liver and central nervous system were commonly affected. The traditional healer was the main source (83.4 %), while 11.3 % was bought from African medicine shops. (Venter C. P., Joubert P. H. " Aspects of poisoning with traditional medicines in southern Africa", Biomed Environ Sci 1988 Dec; 1(4))

The main paper under analysis as referenced in the above-mentioned textbook is Prof. Joubert's "Poisoning admissions of black South Africans" (J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 1990; 28(1)), also dealing with acute poisoning admissions to Ga-Rankuwa Hospital, from which we summarise as follows: Overall the major causes of mortality were traditional medicines, responsible for 51.7 % and kerosine (paraffin) for 26.7 % of the deaths that occurred.

When differentiated into fatal childhood poisonings, 72.7 % were attributed to paraffin. When differentiated into adult poisonings, the commonest cause of acute poisonings was traditional medicines at 44 % (followed by pesticides). Of the patients who died, 62 % were diagnosed as poisoning by traditional medicines, and 12.5 % each for medical drugs and pesticides. There were no cases of deliberate self-poisoning with traditional medicines.

Prof. Joubert commented that most towns and cities have African medicine shops where traditional medicines can be bought over the counter, and very pertinently that " There is currently no legislation controlling traditional African medicines." It was Prof. Joubert's conclusion that the main issues were the extremely high mortality, and that if the poisonings due to traditional medicines could be eliminated, the overall mortality rate would decrease by + 50 %. The abstract conclusion was that the prevention of paraffin poisoning and poisoning by traditional medicines merits high priority in the health care of the indigenous population of South Africa. (Joubert P.H., Poisoning admissions of black South Africans, J Toxicol Clin Toxicol, 1990; 28(1))

Further vindicating Prof. Joubert's concerns are the summary conclusions reached by Dr. E Osuch, Prof. Joubert's current successor who extended his work in this field as a thesis (titled "Toxicological aspects of some traditional medicines used by patients admitted to Ga-Rankuwa Hospital") covering the subsequent period 1987-1992 and determining that "Traditional medicine ingestion was responsible for more than half of all acute poisoning deaths."

What is even more revealing with the passage of time is that the majority of these deaths were now children, mostly below 5 years of age, apparently as a result of paraffin poisonings having been successfully reduced, but revealing a shifting trend of increased paediatric deaths resulting from traditional African medicines. Even more recently Dr. Osuch et al have stated that "A large percentage of acute poisonings in black (direct quotation) South Africans is due to traditional medicines." (Foukardis G, Munting G, Osuch E, J Ethnopharmacol 1994 Feb;41(3))

Of further interest in Dr Osuch's thesis is that 24 different plants tended to recur as causes of these hospital admissions, in our view presenting a golden opportunity for the authorities to educate suppliers and users regarding dose, precautionaries, early poisoning symptoms etc., an opportunity squandered by all concerned, especially the MCC, via TRAMED, and the responsibility rather being borne by PHARMAPACT, at least to initiate the necessary reform, via this and future efforts. We have a toxics short-list list in preparation and will publish asap. In the meantime it appears that the main killer in the Transvaal is Urginea sanguinea, (above references) and in Kwazulu/Natal, Callilepsis laureata.

(Byrant A, Zulu Medicine and Medicine Men, Centaur, 1966)(without doubt a virulent poison) (Seedat Y, Hitchcock P, S Afr Med J Jul 31;45(30))(acute renal failure) (Wainwright J, Schonland M, Candy H, S Afr J Med 1977 Aug 13;52(8))(found to cause fatal liver necrosis, widely used as a herbal medicine, nephrotoxic, hypoglycaemic, hepatoxic) (Watson A, Coovadia H, Bhoola K, S Afr Med J 1979 Feb 24;55(8))(administration of Impila (Zulu for health) is common, the practice can and does cause poisoning, hepatic and renal tubular necrosis, hypoglycaemia, alteration of consciousness, hepatic and renal dysfunction) (Veale D, S Afr Pharm J 1987 (54))(fatal if ingested in small quantities, confusion, vomiting, diarrhoea, convulsions, hypoglycaemia and liver and kidney failure) (Dehrmann F, Bye S, Dutton M, J Ethnopharmacol 1991 Sept; 34(2-3))(used extensively as a medicament, nephrotoxic)

Shockingly little or nothing has been done about this unacceptable situation, least of all by those who over the period that this information has been directly available to them and who have been directing MCC policy under the shallow guise (at least to us), repeated ad nauseam, of being the custodians of public safety from toxic medicines and insisting that they have been empowered to control all substances fitting their enacted definition of a medicine.

We are presently engaged in ongoing culpability investigations and the processing of criminal charges of gross dereliction of public duty and genocide against Professors Schlebusch and especially Folb and in the latter's case, a further enquiry into ethnopiracy, since Folb has directorship at the University of Cape Town of the Dept. of Pharmacology, the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Drug Policy (WHOCCDP); and the Traditional Medicines Programme (TRAMED) and is in a better position than anyone to be aware of these shocking circumstances, and especially as chairman of the MCC, to be doing something meaningful about them.

Of further significance is that the Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC) (whose slogan is "Building a healthy nation through research") are directly linked with Folb and with TRAMED, whereby Folb is a recipient of MRC funding for 1. computerised database of medicinal plants; 2. Ethnomedical & ethnobotanical research; 3. Biomedical research & development of bioactive substances; 4. Conservation strategies for endemic & endangered medicinal plants; 5. Information systems research & development; and 6. Operating / travel.

In addition to TRAMED, is a Research Group for Traditional Medicines which is also a joint venture between the MRC, the Department of Pharmacology at UCT and the School of Pharmacy of the University of the Western Cape, which is also engaged in ethnopiracy testing of plant extracts at UCT, according to Dan Ncayiyana, Deputy Chancellor of UCT, "to isolate active compounds to develop new drugs." (Electronic Mail & Guardian, 19 Oct., 1997) It comes as no surprise that the person rumoured to be in line to take over as Chairman of the MCC in June is Professor P. Eagles, Director of the UWC School of Pharmacy.

The pro-drug, pro-fluoridationist Health Systems Trust, ties in both Folb and Tramed with Rockefeller Foundation and European Union funding, linking all of the above-mentioned institutions as WHO Collaborating Centres with the International Drugs Trust, under the ultimate direction of the Illuminati who direct world affairs to suit their private agenda of controlling the human race in their service.

Instead of using the 60,000 entries TRAMED database available to the WHOCCDP to "monitor all adverse reactions to medicines in South Africa and investigate national problems of drug toxicity, recommend policy in this regard and encourage the rational and safe use of medicines, including traditional medicines" (as claimed on it's websites), the combined facilities are "presently engaged in large amounts of research based upon the extraction and isolation of active compounds from plants used by traditional healers in the treatment of disease." Gilbert Matsabisa who sits on the CMC (& Afr. Trad. Med. sub-committee ) and where apparently no progress has been made on the regulation of indigenous traditionals, is also busy with "ethnopharmacology in drug development" at the UCT Pharmacology Dept. (Also from website)

Nigel Gericke, a medical practitioner who is a member of the CMC (& Afr. Trad. Med. sub-committee)(sponsored by Pharmacare Ltd), and was the founder of TRAMED whilst working as phytomedicines development manager for S A Druggists states in his CV that he continues to serve as consultant to TRAMED on a voluntary basis, including ongoing research into side-effects and the development of a traditional medicines formulary to encourage the safe use of indigenous medicinal plants, and the development of a database, including toxicology.

Interestingly, in late 1995, at the request of professor Folb, a study was made by Gericke and recommendations made for the development of a South African approach, yet ironically no regulatory action is being forced on this sector, which by far represents the major, if not sole risk to public safety against which the MCC claim to be acting when witch-hunting the international natural health substance traditions.

Dr. Gericke recently developed his own commercial range of ethnopirated indigenous medicines (Healer's Choice) and with his senior at SAD, Bosch van Oudtshoorn, co-authored a new book (Medicinal Plants of South Africa, Briza, 1997)(developed from the TRAMED database, to which it gives no acknowledgement, nor to the traditional healers). Most curiously and irresponsibly this book does not provide an iota of toxicological data for any of the 132 plants featured, in spite of significant toxicities, as if none existed, though the publishers outside of the body of the text do provide the standard indemnifying precautionary.

None of the above-mentioned references appear in the book, as if the problem never existed, or so as not to draw attention to the plight of these and the other first-class human guinea pigs, nor the hazards of the plants themselves, lest they be restricted from trade and thereby ruin a lucrative future market for these and associated ethnopirates.

A shockingly similar situation inexplicably exists with the recently published South African Traditional Healer's Primary Healthcare Handbook (UCT, 1997), also a product of the TRAMED Project, which, although it provides short token precautionaries for the toxics among the 55 plants featured, simply does not do justice in addressing the enormous problem of acute poisonings and fatalities arising from traditional African medicines.

Some 3000 plants are in use, 10 % in major use, and of which the most toxic or those responsible for most of the serious poisonings and fatalities are not even featured or identified in these two publications, especially curious considering that they both have their genesis under Professor Folb's directorship and against the claimed public interest as previously detailed, much of which is hypocritically repeated by Folb in the first paragraph of his forward to the manual, which he unashamedly does in his capacity of Director: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Policy.

The foregoing is by far not the sum total of botanical research establishing our thesis, but there necessarily has to be cut-off here for practical purposes, though additional references will be appendiced to further document the authorities having no excuse to plead ignorance in defence of their callous inaction in the face of so much innocent human suffering and loss of life, which is the primary responsibility of the Medicines Control Council.

Why have these "downright dangerous drugs" not been given toxicological precautionaries at every opportunity as with the exotics and called-up to protect consumers? # Many of these substances cross our borders from as far afield as Mozambique, Malawi, Swaziland and Tanzania, so why are the MCC not similarly instructing the Customs officials to embargo these medicinal drugs at point of entry? # Why are MCC inspectors not exercising their functions within the arena of the African herbal / muti shops and markets ? # Are our African citizens not entitled to equal protection under Act 101, or is apartheid still alive and well and living in Pretoria, and free access to these substances part of a sinister plot to poison the unsuspecting African traditionalist ?