One of my most unpleasant experiences as a youngster growing up in Tanganyika Territory was having to swallow terrible tasting medicines for various diseases or illnesses! Having to swallow bitter quinine daily against malaria was bad enough but when worms took up residence in our bodies, we had to swallow a tablespoon of castor oil. This horrible oily stuff made us gag every time! It became so bad that each night my dad would lay us across his lap, holding our nose until we gasped for air. Then mom would shove the wretched medicine down our open mouths. I can still taste the vile stuff today, it was SO bad tasting! Being good kids we really tried to be good and ‘vowed’ each night that tonight, we would be good and take the dawa like good children. BUT invariably, when that time came following our supper, we ended up going through the same awful antics hoping that just maybe one time our parents would relent. But they never did. Poor mom and dad. I think it was as hard on them as it was on us. Bless them for trying to be good and caring parents even when it was tough! We also had to wear pith helmets daily and would get spanked if we went outside without them. In those days they were required on the assumption that they would prevent sunstroke. I think they did help some, though they went out of fashion decades ago.