A History of Development of Medical Missions and Catholic Evangelization in Sub-Saharan Africa From the Early Twentieth Century to the Present: Tracing Some Representative Founders and Orders in the Context of the Twentieth Century Church.

Although the care of the sick has been a charism of Catholic community since the beginning, and hospitals as we know them have developed since the fourth century, religious orders began to develop hospitals as part of their mission work during the colonial expansion of the seventeenth century. These early efforts, however, were primarily a response to the needs of the colonists as well as recognition that the poor who were sick required care in these regions. It can be argued that medical missions developed during the twentieth century as a response to the outreach of Protestants as well as the exposure of physicians to the needs in mission territories, and that their advancement and success impacted the attitudes of the popes and bishops of the twentieth century. This article examines several individuals and organizations who have contributed to the development of medical missions in Africa in modern times and trace the approach of the Church toward medical missions by exploring missionary religious orders, especially women's religious orders, and papal and council documents. It primarily considers the role of medical missions in areas that had only a limited Catholic presence prior to nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and where Catholic health care and the local Catholic Church essentially developed together, and considers ways in which the growth of medical missions and the thinking of the Church developed together.

Surgical Repair of a Giant Aorto-Left Ventricular Fistula.

Aortoventricular fistula, a rare congenital or acquired defect of the aortic wall, is characterized by an abnormal connection between the aorta and one of the ventricles. Symptom severity correlates with the diameter of the fistula and with the acute or chronic timing of presentation. The diagnosis is usually made by using echocardiography, and surgical treatment is necessary to avoid progression to heart failure. We describe the case of a 27-year-old woman who underwent successful surgical repair of an aortoventricular fistula that originated from the right coronary sinus and extended into the left ventricle through the interventricular septum. In addition to the patient's case, we briefly discuss this unusual condition.