Page 34 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

26 ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULP POLITICAL

whilst in one case, which alsoendod fatally and in which tbo evacuation stage was immediately
followed l»y a severe febrile stage, the temperature a few hours before death rose to 106*0 P.
Suppression of urine in a more or lessdegreo was a very common symptom, but was rapidly
overcome in the majority of the cases tbatcamo under treatment
The epidemio may, upon tho whole, be considered to have been ono of only a moderate
severity, for whilst, on tho oue hand, the incidence of attacks in proportion to tho general
population of Maskat and Matrah together was in as high a ratio os 5*3 per cent, which was
eno ugh to stamp it ns one of a very grave nature, on the other it nover attained that great
degree of intensity as indicated by the rate of mortality, which was its most prominent charac­
ter in its advance through the Simail valley. At Suroor alone the first place of any importaooo
in the interior it visited, it carried away *170 persons out of a population of 1,000 aud at Simail
nearly a thousand persons out of a population of about 5,000.
Tbo total number of attacks in both Maskat and Matrah together may bo approximately
stated to have been 1,339. Of these 449 took
Attacks.
place in Maskat alone, giving a ratio of 4*5 per
cent, to the population. Viewed in a racial point of view the greatest incidence of attacks was
among Baluchis with whom I have also grouped Jotgals who, though racially distinct from
them, are socially and in their domestic habits so much like them, that the two cannot be
easily separated. Their habitations are mostly in the filthiest localities and themselves moat
regardless of the commonest rules of personal hygiene, so that it is no wonder that they suffered
most from the epidemic. A little more than half the total number of attacks, namely, 240,
occurred among them alone. The next in order to suffer were the Africans among whom
there were 111 attacks, and next to them were the Arabs who are proportionately a small com­
munity in Maskat and who had 95 attacks amoDg them. The least of all to suffer were the
Indians among whom there were only three attacks, two being among the Muhammadans and
one among the Hindus, whilst the Indo-Portuguese, who are, however, a very small commu­
nity, had no attacks among them at all. This remarkable instance of the almost absolute
immunity of the whole Indian community may be attributed partly to the fact of many of
them having adopted prophylactic measures and partly to the fact of all their habitations,
which are situated inside the town of Maskat, being far away from the greatest centres of
infection.
Considered in relation to age and sex, adults suffered considerably more than children, the
total number of attacks among the former being 406, whilst among the latter only 43, and
males suffered slightly more than females, though the ratio of deaths to attacked was much
greater among the latter than among the former. There were 214 attacks among males
agaiost 192 among females.
The localities that were most severely visited by the epidemic were such as contained
closely packed and overcrowded huts with the most unsauitary surroundings and as were
inhabited entirely by Baluchis or Jatgals or both. Mauy such spots exist in both the
suburbs of Maskat, and it was there that the disease was most rife. Whilst the whole
town of Maskat contributed only 99 cases, there were 205 in Tuvan and 83 in Takia. The
total number of attacks in Matrah may be approximately stated to have been 890, giving
a ratio of nearly 6 per cent, to the population. This ratio wa3 slightly higher than in
Maskat partly on account of the larger population and partly oo account of Matrah being
more exposed to sources of infection, as explained above* The greatest incidence of attacks
was, as in Maskat, among the Baluchis who aloue had among them 335 attacks, being more
than a third of the total number. The Arabs come next in order, having had 290 attacks
among them, or nearly a third of the total number. There were 166 attacks among the
Africans and 59 among the Persians. The remaining 4-0 attacks were distributed among
the tbreo Indian communities—Khojas, other Indiao Muhammadans and Hindus. Of these
the Khojas, though now domiciled here, live aloof from the rest of the pjpulation in a
separate place of their own, called the Khoja fort aud may be estimated to be about 1,000
persons; there were altogether 31 attacks among them aivino a ratio of a b'ttle more than
3 per cent The number here ^iven is slightly different from that shown in statement
14°. VI, as one oE the attacks having occurred in the pereon of a Khoja who lived outside
the Khoja fort, is excluded from it, whilst two attacks which occurred among the Africans
in the Khoja fort are mcluded in it. The other Indian Muhammadans who are principally
gold smites, carpenters, memons, etc., also live inside the town amidst better sanitary
surroundings than those found in the Baluchi and Arab quarters; they had only 7 attacks
among them. The smallest number of attacks, namely, two, was among the Hindus, and
ia*the epidemic hCr0 ** * Stra°Se coiocidence that they were the very last two attacks

Examined in relation u> age, the attacks in Matrah were about five times and a half
more m a nits than in chddren, the total number amoDg the former being 752 against 138
among t e latter. As regards sex, from an early stage of the epidemic there was a general
impression among the people that women were suffering more than raon, which is now seen
to have been rig tly formed, from the statistics the attacks among females, namely, 466,
being neary ouble of those among males (296). This great i/Wponderance of attacks
among females occurred principally among the Baluchis and Arabs in localities almost en­
tirely occupied by them, and m ay partly he accounted for by the fact that the duty of
nursing the sick generally devolved on the fair ^ It wcd/needless to reiterate the