obtaining a licence to practise medicine here that he discovered he is a Bermudian.

"I had come to Bermuda to attend a medical conference and loved the Island so much, I just rang up to see if there was any possibility of my working here. I happened to mention that my father had been born here, and Immigration then informed me that because he was born here when my grandfather was stationed in Bermuda as Surgeon-Commander with the British Navy, I had Bermudian status. I was very surprised!'' Now, Dr. Hope-Gill has brought his considerable skills to practise here in general medicine, specialising in Internal Medicine and as a subspecialist in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes.

The journey to Bermuda and its unexpected outcome matches the unusual beginning to Dr. Hope-Gill's life. He was born in 1940 in Tiensin, in northern China, the son of a doctor. One year later, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, all British and American personnel were rounded up and placed in prison camps, where he and his family spent the next four years.

"There was a big fat Japanese sergeant, who tried to kill me! His nick-name, in Japanese, was `Don't-Do-that' because that's all he ever said. One day, when I was about four, I called him that to his face and, unfortunately, he heard me. He was so furious, he pulled out his sword and swung at me. I ran, and he ran after me, and eventually I hid under my bed and he started slashing at me. My mother, rather bravely, jumped on his back and, luckily, his `Bushido' code of honour prevented him from attacking her, so he stormed off!'' Some of the guards, however, were quite friendly. The children, says Dr.

Hope-Gill, would often wander into the guard-houses around the camp. "One of them gave me three candies and I took them triumphantly back into the compound and we carefully broke them up with a hammer and shared them out -- the only candy we ever had. Then, the escape committee came and asked me to point him out. I was only four, and didn't understand what was going on. One night, shortly afterwards, we were all called out in the middle of the night for roll-call and when I saw the man, I went and hugged his leg and told everyone, `Here's my friend.' The commandant of the camp was furious and stripped him, then and there, of all his badges and gun, and sent him off to the guard-house. We never saw him again. Long after, I remember remarking to my mother that there was at least one decent Japanese in the camp, and she said, `Yes, but he was Korean!''' Finally, in 1945, liberation came in the form of American paratroops, who landed just outside the camp to be mobbed by 1,500 grateful inmates. "The head of the Commandos arrested the Commandant of the camp and led him over to the gates and gave him to the Chinese outside. Do we ask what happened next? No, I don't think so!'' The hardships of prison life hardly prepared the young boy for his next adventure, which was to be flown out of China, over the Himalayas and installed in the Viceroy's palace in India before returning to England.

Eventually, his family settled in Canada, where he followed in his family's foot-steps, becoming the third generation to qualify as a doctor when he obtained his degree from the University of Toronto Medical School. After three years of general practice, he decided to specialise in Internal Medicine, including a chief residency in Geriatrics. He was then awarded a fellowship to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School in London, England, returning as a professor in 1973.

Dr. Hope-Gill spent four years at the University of Toronto in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. It was there, at the University where insulin was discovered by Drs. Banting and Best, that he became very involved in the treatment of diabetes.

"I had a burning desire to do research so I moved to the US as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of South Florida, where I became Chief of Clinical Diabetes.'' He has written more than 20 research papers, primarily on diabetes, insulin and atherosclerosis, which have been presented throughout Europe and Australia, as well as Canada and the US. The next 13 years were spent in private practice in General Internal Medicine and Endocrinology in Sarasota, Florida.

Admitting he was initially quite surprised by the very high incidence of diabetes in Bermuda, Dr. Hope-Gill points out that it is a condition that is hereditary, "and there is a set pool of genes here. We inherit genes from both sets of parents so the chance of developing diabetes in a rather closed society is increased. There are many genetic causes behind diabetes, not one.

If one parent is diabetic, there is a 50 percent chance of developing it and, I'm afraid, if both parents are effected, there is 100 percent chance that it will develop, eventually.'' He cautions that everyone should have their blood sugar tested, especially those over 40 and anyone who is over-weight. Dr. Hope-Gill also advises regular checks if there is a history of the condition in the family. "If you ignore diabetes, it can cause serious complications.'' The best control of blood sugar is through loss of weight, diet and pills, which increase insulin production and make it more effective. "If you can lose one or two pounds a month and keep that loss steady, the effect on diabetes is immediate. It helps tremendously. Symptoms of the maturity-onset type of diabetes can actually disappear through careful diet. The important thing with diabetes is to get it diagnosed and treated early.'' Besides diabetes, Dr. Hope-Gill's sub-speciality also includes glandular diseases, adrenal disease, male and female hormone problems, bone and calcium disorders and other body chemistry problems. As a specialist of Internal Medicine, the emphasis centres round ongoing, long-term problems.

As a keen bridge player and a sportsman who plays tennis every day, enjoys a game of golf and loves to windsurf, Dr. Hope-Gill says that "Bermuda is the perfect place! The people here are so very friendly, I feel more at home here than I ever did in the States.'' More surprisingly, perhaps, Bermuda's newest doctor is also absorbed in writing his second novel. "The first one was really semi-autobiographical, a lot about medical school and that sort of thing, but I'm now writing what I believe is a `techno-thriller'! All about the future in terms of genetic research. That's something I find rewarding.'' DOCTOR'S LIFE -- Dr. Herbert Hope-Gill, who recently opened a medical practice here, spent his early life in a prisoner of war camp.