Leader Stirling

Leader Dominic Stirling (19 January 1906 – 7 February 2003) was an English missionary surgeon and former Health Minister in Tanzania. Born in Finchley, England and raised in Sussex Weald, Stirling attended Bishop's Stortford College and the University of London. After a brief period of general practice, Stirling joined the Universities' Mission to Central Africa and was deployed to Tanzania. He spent 14 years of service to the UMCA in Lulindi. He then converted to Catholicism and joined the Benedictine Mission, working with them in Mnero, where he built another hospital. After 15 years he left to Kibosho, on the slopes of the Kilimanjaro, where he worked for 5 more years. During his medical missionary career, he emphasised the training of local nurses, establishing a precedent for official nurse recognition in Tanzania. His experience in Africa eventually led him to the political career, and in 1958 Leader Stirling was elected (unopposed) to the first Parliament of Tanzania. He held this position for the next 22 years, being the last 5 as Health Minister by appointment of Julius Nyerere. Besides his medical and political work, Stirling was also interested in Scouting. His successful efforts to establish a Scout movement in Tanzania eventually led him to the post of Chief Scout of Tanzania in 1962, following the formation of the Republic.

Early life: 1906–1929

Leader Stirling was born in England in 1906, the first of 4 siblings. His was of a family of ancient Scots and also of doctors, including his uncle Harold Leader, who was a children's physician, his great-uncles Henry Pye-Smith and Rutherford Pye-Smith, and the cousins Charles Pye-Smith, a surgeon, and Jack Pye-Smith, all Physicians of the Guy's Hospital.

Medical training: 1924–1929

The 5 year medical course consisted of 1 year of pre-medical studies at the East London College, now Queen Mary College, where he basically studied zoology. During his first year he was also a surgical dresser in the London Hospital when he had his first hands-on experiences with medical practice. In 1925 he began his second year of medical school, now studying at the London Hospital, which was followed by 3 years of clinical course. He graduated from medical school in July 1929, qualifying MRCS and LRCT in the same year. He graduated MBBS, and later, in 1993, was elected FRCS, a very honourable and rare happening. He continued to Masasi, where he could be of more use, to join Dr. Frances Taylor, who was covering 10,000 square miles by walking 20–30 miles a day on foot His arrival was met with great enthusiasm by the mission: "the most joyful thing that has happened medically for a very long time". He informs that his report on the poor labour conditions brought improvements. He also implemented reforms in the mental health scenario of the country, equipping all major hospitals of the country with psychiatric units. As a result, non-criminal mentally ill individuals who were put in prison because there was not enough mental asylums in the country were transferred to the nearest government hospital "imprisonment for being simply mentally sick, with no criminal charge, is now a thing of the past in Tanzania".

He attended to the great Jubilee Jamboree of Scouting at Sutton Coldfield, England in 1957 with a group of 30 Tanzanians (Tanganyikans and Zanzibaris alike) where he met Queen Elizabeth II.

Personal life

Leader Stirling became a Tanzanian citizen following the country's independence, in 1961. This was also required by his Parliamentary position and meant he had to relinquish his British citizenship, for Tanzania did not allow dual nationality.

Soon afterwards he married his first wife Regina Haule, an African nurse, in 1963, He also mentions meeting with the Pope.