Emergency in Morocco

The film describes the fourteen-country rehabilitation program that was organized in response to an appeal to the United Nations when a strange malady struck down 10 000 Moroccans. They called it the disease of the Meknes because Meknes was the city where it started. Headed by Dr. Gustave Gingras of Montréal, medical teams went into action to try to discover its cause and halt its wasting effects. They discovered the cause--cooking oil adulterated with airplane lubrication oil sold cheaply in the market place--but the damage was done and there was no known cure except to retrain damaged muscles. The film gives an eye-witness account of how Red Cross nurses, doctors, and physiotherapists worked tirelessly to coax life back into crippled hands and inert limbs. Against a background of Islamic tradition and ancient Moroccan culture, this film provides an example of the practical way in which countries like Canada assist the humanitarian work of the United Nations.