Page 38 - PERSIAN 4 1899_1905

ADMINISTRATION REPORT ON THE PERSIAN GULF POLITICAL
30
vrnro vcrv regular in reporting symptoms as they develop^ and who were the only two
canape of appreciating in an intelligent manner ihe value of our treatment, for in

rivlnc a ratio1 Vat'S per cent, ol deaths to treated, wliilal amon- the other. that were treated
&«s a death rale eM8 per cent., nearly equal to the general death-rate (50-7 per cent.)
and only .lightly less than the death-rate (51 per cent ) among the person, that wero not
treated Exception, however, may he taken to the result among the Hindus being included
in tbo comparison on the ground cf the smallnee. 0 : the number of the eases among them and
tk* fftPt of their bavine been the last two cases 10 the epidemic, but even if we exclude them
from this calculatkin we have still the highly favourable result of 7 deatho among tho 29
Khojas that were treated, that is to say, a ratio per cent of U l deaths to treated.
When the disease began to assume epidemic proportions, I advised strongly the taking
of a dose (m. xx) of dilute sulphuric acid ia an
Prophjlaotio treatment. ounce of water every morning, and it is gratifying
to not now that with the exception of two Khoja children in the Khoja f »rt, none of those
who followed this advice suffered fiotn the disease, though it must be stated that the mijority
of them at least in Maskat were not directly exposed to infection. Tho members of the
menial establishment of the Political Agent's Office, who were all given a dose of sulphuric
acid every morning were, however, differently situated, many of them having had cases of
cholera in their houses or in their immediate neighbourhood, and although they were thus
directly exposed to infection, they all escaped ; but their number is too small for the result
of the prophylactic treatment among them to be considered of any importance as a test oEits
value. The other prophylactic measures that were strongly recommended were tbe boiling
of all water for domestic purposes, and the addition, if practicable, of a littla solution of
permanganate of potash to it.
Soon after the appearance of the epidemic it began to manifest its influence on tho general
population by causing an unusual prevalence oE
Cholerine or premonitory diarrhoea. diarrhoea. i\o idea can be formed even approxi­
mately of tbe number of such cases as no informa­
tion could be obtained about it at the time, the people generally looking upon it as a trifling
affection and failing to Tealize the danger of its proving to be a precursory symptom of a
much graver disease. There can, however, be no doubt that some of these cas-s eventually
developed symptoms of true cholera, though from the return of such cases as applied fer
treatment in Matrah, their proportion appears to be small. Out of 77 cases of diarrhoea that
were treated in Matrah, only 10 subsequently developed true cholera with one death. The
number of cases treated in Maskat was 21. The treatment of these cases consisted in the
administration of astringent powders composed of Pulv. Catechu Co. and Bismuth al5»um ;
and in only a few instances after the failure of these powders to check the diarrhcoa, it was
necessary to give a dose or two of Pil. Plumb, c. opio.
When cholera first broke out in Gwadur and threatened to invade Maskat, repeated and
urgent representations were made to tbe local
Preventive and sanitary measures. authorities with a view, to the re-iraposition of
quarantine on vessels arriving from that port and
Karachi, as a preventive mea6are, but tbe seriousness of the situation was then evidently not
sufficiently realized. Similarly when the disease first broke out in the Jabru qaart-r of Matrah
its very existence was denied, so that no measures whatever were taken to preveut the spread­
ing of the disease. It was only when it assumed epidemic proportions and threatened to
invade Maskat that the first step towards any measures likely to eradicate it was take n at
my recommendation. As the epidemic was originally con.-.ned to the suburb of Jabru and
the Baluchi quarter of Matrah, both of which localities were supplied with drinking water
from a particular well in Jabro, the presumption was great that tbe water was tbe source of
infection, and I therefore recommended the disinfection of the well with permanganate of
potash. This recommendation had to be extended to all the wells in Matrah and Maskat
supplying water for domestic parposee, for by the time it was carried into effect, tbe disease
bad extended to all the parts of tbe town and had also broken out in Maskat.
When the disease extended to the interior there was great danger of caravans and other
people bringing it again and causing fresh centres of infectio?, to ward-off which, at my
recommendation, a camp of detention was established at YTateyyeh, about 5 miles from
Matrah, but the watch kept there was so ineffective that instances of persons supposed to be
detained there, having found their way into the town often came to ray notice. Similarly
tliongli there was quarantine imposed on vessels from the Mekran Coast to which place the
infection bad by that time spread from Gwadur, no effort was made to see that it was strictly
observed. As it seemed to me that any suggestion on my part for an organised system of
general sanitary measures would not be adopted on the ground of its impracticability, I confined
my advice to the personal disinfection of tbe attacked and their immediate surrounding*, and
with that view disinfectants were served out freely by ns whenever tbe friends of ihe attacked
persons called for medical relief, Ilis Highness the Sultan having made it publicly known