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This article presents information on some methodological considerations concerning the study of aptitudes and the elaboration of psychological tests for African natives. The notion of aptitude as a hereditary disposition exercising a limiting effect on some defined behavior becomes even less valuable when it concerns people ho suffer from lack of education, as in the case of African populations. It is in such groups the necessity arises of predicting work performance by means of tests. It also becomes important to study learning procedures whereby work capacity can be developed, and to provide adequate information as to how any desired development can best be achieved. For a long time scientific psychology has concentrated research on the study of aptitudes. It is opined that by means of proper communication, a given capacity may frequently develop in a person who was previously devoid of it. A first approach to the study of the intellectual capacities of Africans is to observe and to make an inventory of the activities which are valued within original African culture. Accurate psychological knowledge of the behavior involved in these activities, of the techniques employed by them and of the materials they utilize would be valuable in order to locate and to overcome the difficulties which Africans experience in adjusting to the demands peculiar to an industrial civilization.

The onset of sudden and intense scrotal pain exposes to several problems when it occurs in a young man in Africa. Among the possible etiologies, testicular torsion is the surgical emergency to rule out, because beyond 6 hours of evolution the functional prognosis of the testicle is concerned. The septic evolution towards a purulent melting, in case of exceeded torsion, is also possible. Of slightly lower incidence than in Western countries, lack of awareness of this pathology by local health actors, the precariousness or health isolation of certain populations in certain under-medicalized regions, contribute to diagnostic and therapeutic delays. This often leads to a pejorative development, loss of the testicle being directly correlated with the delay in treatment. Testicular torsion has thus been identified as one of the main causes of male infertility in Africa. However, clinical diagnosis and surgical treatment require few resources and remain accessible in an environment with low resources or in precarious conditions. Indeed, despite the contribution of ultrasound in certain situations, the clinical picture is at the center of the diagnosis and therapeutic decision making. At the slightest doubt, surgical exploration is necessary. The multi-tunic anatomy of the testicle facilitates its surgical fixation in the event of conservation, ideally by triangulation of single-strand non-absorbable thread. Simultaneous fixation of the contralateral testicle is currently the subject of debate in the literature. In Africa, the benefit/risk balance, taking into account in particular the difficulty of subsequent access to care, justifies, from our point of view, performing contralateral orchidopexy at the same time. Depending on the appearance of the testicle and, to a lesser extent, the duration of the evolution of the symptoms, orchidectomy may be necessary. This article describes the clinical picture of spermatic cord torsion and the orchidopexy technique., (Copyright © 2022 SFMTSI.)

Hydrocele in adults is a collection of peritesticular fluid between the parietal and visceral layers of the tunica vaginalis testis. An endemic disease in Africa, its cause is either idiopathic or a reaction to filariasis. In the absence of treatment, its volume increases spontaneously. The onset of symptoms justifies treatment. In tropical zones, surgery is the most effective treatment. The technique must be simple to perform, require few resources, and limit the risks of complication. Three surgical techniques should be used. In resource-poor practice conditions, fenestration and, to a lesser extent, plication are the techniques most appropriate when the tunica vaginalis is essentially healthy. Only resection is possible when it is damaged.

Giant inguinoscrotal hernias represent a real public health problem in Africa that can dramatically impair patients' quality of life. Limited resources require a simplified surgical strategy that can include herniorraphy followed by abandoning the distal hernia sac into the scrotum. The best eligibility criteria for such an approach are a primary giant inguinoscrotal hernia, spontaneously reducible in the decubitus position and without any scrotal cutaneous trophic disorders. This reproducible surgical treatment has to be efficient with rapid recover from surgery allowing return to work and social reintegration.

Obstetrical vesicovaginal fistulas remain frequent in Africa. An isolated surgeon, making a short-term visit, must select cases with a good prognosis by thorough clinical examination. Surgery is the only treatment and is simple for these simple cases: debridement of both sides of the sclerotic fistula, making it possible to separate the vaginal and bladder walls and to suture each individually. This reproducible surgery must be effective to lead to the women's social reintegration. Accordingly, isolated surgeons must treat only simple cases.