I first met the author and subject of this book over 40 years ago. I was starting my medical career at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Rhyl, Flintshire, and he was a Senior House Officer in Respiratory Medicine at Llangwyfan Hospital, near Denbigh, North Wales. Even then he made it obvious that he had certain political leanings.
Carl was a GP who treated the whole patient. But he defined ‘holistic medicine’ in a much broader way than is usually the case: he believed that, to treat the patient effectively, he had to ensure that not only their immediate family was ‘well’ but also their extended family, and their society and community too. As he saw the situation, the language of the area, namely Welsh, was part of the community and should be protected and nurtured.
He records his various ventures into community revitalisation while at Llanaelhaearn, Gwynedd, Wales, and afterwards. One of his first attempts at such ventures was, along with other like-minded individuals, to set up Antur Aelhaearn, the first such cooperative venture in mainland Britain, which succeeded in attracting the support of most of the population.
This was in the spring of 1973, and Antur Aelhaearn is still in existence. His next venture was in ensuring that the Welsh language was healthy and the adults living in the area were encouraged and given every opportunity to learn Welsh. To this end he persuaded and cajoled various agencies that the revitalisation of a derelict granite quarry was important because it could be developed into a language centre.
This was bought to fruition and, in 1982, Nant Gwrtheyrn, a Welsh language and heritage centre, was opened. He also took sabbaticals overseas working on health initiatives in Cambodia, Siberia, and India.
This book, tracking the various initiatives by Carl over the years, is an interesting and revealing record of these developments. It could be argued that the record is too personal to be the whole story, and Carl is too close to the action and involved to be able to see the whole picture, despite his best efforts. His spoken Welsh is a little idiosyncratic but this is a volume that should be studied by anyone interested in the role of a committed GP serving a community he loves.
- © British Journal of General Practice 2017