Anecdotes, situations, histories: Varieties and uses of cases in thinking about ethics and development practice

Pim de Graaf, now a Médecins Sans Frontières manager in Amsterdam, earlier worked as a doctor in an area in Southern Tanzania. Most 8-12-yearold children in this area had bilharzia and hence sometimes urinated blood. Those who did not pass blood were considered sick and were treated by traditional doctors. At a conference (NVCO, Soesterberg, 1997) de Graaf recounted how he decided not to intervene or even seek to dispel the beliefs. He feared he would make the majority of the children feel ill and their parents feel guilty, in circumstances where a sustained supply of antibilharzia drugs could not be expected.