Page 78 - Records of Bahrain (3) (ii)_Neat

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Records of Bahrain

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many as 50 plunges in a day if the weather is favourable, but only 10 of
20 if tlic water is cold. It is rarely that a diver is attacked by a shark
(Jarjur or dogfish (Kalb-al-Bahr^l v-Jlr ) ; but in 1900 an
unusual number of sharks made their appearance off the banks and
attacked nearly 30 divers, two of whom were killed under water, while
others were rescued in a precarious condition. The diver sometimes
suffers from the slings of the devil-fish or Hammah > and when
there are many of these about he wears a long white shirt to protect
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him from their embraces. The exertion of diving is greatly increased
by ^be existence of a current, and, where currents prevail, the diver is
frequently floated away to a distance from • the boat, and comes up
much exhausted; in such places a long rope i6 allowed to trail from the
boat, to which the Ghais can swim on reaching the surface and be hauled
in by the Saib.
Here it may be mentioned that the occupation of diving, though a
severe form of labour, and fatiguing at the time, is not considered by
those engaged in it to be particularly injurious to the health, and that
it is. practised even by old men ; on the other hand, it undoubtedly gives
rise, in some case5, to diseases of the respiratory system and to deafness*
A common ailment among divers is a skin disease, to guard against
which those who arc liable to it occasionally rub themselves before going
to sleep with a decoction, called Jaft oiu } from the inner shell of the
Persian acorn.* Senna leaves and a few other common drugs are carried
by pearling boats; but, in case of serious illness, recourse is generally
had, whatever the nature of the symptoms, to actual cautery with a hot
iron.

Social life, customs and discipline on the Arabian pearl banks.

Social life on the banks is confined to the hours of the evening, when
the Nakhudas and their crews visit friendly boats to enjoy coffee, wafer
cakes and tobacco, and to compare notes of their proceedings. During
the season a small bazaar is formed on Dalmah Island for the sale of
supplies, and Taw washes or petty dealers and Musnqqams come there
to buy pearls and recover debts.
* Dr. S. J. Thoms, M.D., of the American Mission Hospital, Bahrain, writes:—
“ It has been my observation that pearl-divers aro prone to disease of the respiratory
system that may be caused by over-distention of tbo lungs and pressure, such as
hremorrhago and pulmonary emphysema, also to deafness from perforation of tho
car*drum, and to various forms of aural oatarrh ; but, with the method used by the
divers here, not to “ paralysis and cramp". In six years of experience hero 1 have
not seen a case of paralysis due to diving. Thoro is a peculiar skin disease among
divers and all classes that spend most of their lives in the sea such us tho fishermen
and boatmen. The shin takes on a glazed appearnneo and breaks out in sum I
pos lules which generally heal in a few weeks without treatment if they do not B
into the salt water during tin’s time, hut I havo never found a treatment tna in •
oncod the disease perceptibly where tho patient pursued his occupation m io
water. I believe the divers do use the decoction mentioned (%laft) sometimes, an *
difficult to say of how much value it is as a prophylactic^*, hut it sreinsto ia »
if an)*, curative effect when the disease is once established11.