Page 572 - PERSIAN 5 1905_1911_Neat

ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE PERSIAN GULF
76

A note on the New Charitable Maskat Mutrah Hospital by Captain N. N. G.
C. McVcan, M.B., I.M.S., Agency Surgeon, Maskat.
The new Maskat Mutrah ITospital was opened at the end of October
1910. It is a large roomy building with ample accommodation for twenty
patients in nine different wards, thus providing separate accommodation for
the different classes of patients and special accommodation for females. A
ward with ample accommodation for two patients has been set aside for
European patients, it is well furnished and has a bath room attached, several
eases from the Navy have been healed here up to date.
There is a good operation room furnished with most of the more neces­
sary articles of surgical furniture and with a good supply of modern
instruments.
There is a roomy dispensary well equipped and a good dresser’s room;
the latter has not yet been fully furnished but new furniture has been ordered.
Very few operations have been performed so far, as the people are not
accustomed to the idea of surgical treatment. Should the number of patients
requiring operations increase, as it is hoped will be the case when the hospital
becomes well known, the present subordinate staff is hardly adequate.

Note on the Cholera epidemic in Maskat, in the Autumn of 1910, by Captain
N. N. G. C. McVean, I-M.S., Agency Surgeon, Maskat.

Cholera broke out in Maskat towards the end of September and con­
tinued till the end of November; during that time there was a period, 'from
the 1st till the 19th of October, during which no case was heard of.
The cases occurred almost entirely among the Baluchis and Seedies of the
poorest classes who live outside the walls in miserable huts where the condi­
tions are filthy in the extreme and where there is much crowding. Only about
ten cases occurred inside the town itself where the sanitary conditions are
considerably better.
The number of cases reported was 93. of these 81 died, but as the great
majority of cases were not reported till after death it may be assumed that
many cases recovered which were not reported. However, the general health
and conditions of life of the class affected is poor which would help to account
for a very high mortality. Males and females were attacked in about equal
proportion. About 20 of the cases were children. The cases seen presented
the ordinary symptoms of cholera. Very few of the cases applied for medi­
cines or, if they d:d, it was only when the disease was far advanced. The
relations, etc., were advised to burn clothing and other articles infected or at
least to soak them well in antiseptics, which were supplied free for this
purpose. Ihese suggestions were carried cut in almost every case, and they
seem to have been iairly successful as generally not more than one case
occurred in each dwelUng-
The infection was probably brought by dhows a large number of which
come here. The first bases heard of however were among people who bad
been hying in Maskat for some time. Cholera occurred in several other
places in Oman about the same time.