The Turtle and the Caduceus is the history of a regional medical school in Fiji which was founded in 1885. Rather than just an institutional history, it deals with the influence of developments in Western medical education (the caduceus) upon traditional Pacific island culture (the Turtle). It also recounts the story of how political and health developments, such as a measles epidemic, colonialism, philanthropy, migration and military coups, have affected the medical school.