Page 640 - PERSIAN 8 1931_1940_Neat

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women of Bahrain and treated many thousands of cases during the year. On
the departure of Dr. Jones, she took over control of the entire Medical Depart­
ment pending the arrival of the new Stale Medical Officer.
Out patients in nil Government dispensaries 59,638
Inpatients in nil Government dispensaries 3,32(5
Number of operations 1,079
Number of deliveries 121
The new Government Main Dispensary was opened in June.
(iv) Apart from eye diseases, malaria and venereal disease continue to be
the main sources of sickness.
(v) In last year’s report mention was made of the visit of Major M. K.
Afridi, I.M.S., and of his report on anti-malarial measures. After several
months of inactivity on the part of the State Medical Department the initiative
was supplied from the Agency and by the summer a beginning had been made
on the real drive for the elimination of malaria from these Islands. A general
committee was formed on which, apart from officials, prominent citizens were
invited to serve ; and executive, financial and propaganda sub-committees were
formed. A supervisor and two insect-collectors were recruited with the aid
of the Government of India and the volume of work accomplished at the end
of the year was impressive. The extent of the work to he done may he judged
hv the fact that it involves the provision of a piped water supply for the whole
of Manama and the closing of several thousand shallow wells in private com­
pounds, apart from extensive operations in gardens within the Manama
Municipality and on its periphery. There is a vast deal of prejudice and
inertia to overcome and it must he recollected that the task affects the whole
population in their homes and gardens ; hut there arc at least signs that tlr
people arc beginning to realise that malaria is a preventable disease if all
.sections of the community co-operate.
The work resolves itself into five main parts, the cleaning of all drains,
pools and pits, the distribution of oil and paris green, the distribution of
larvicidal fish, the inspection by insect-collectors of gardens, compounds and
houses and the collection of adult mosquitoes, ajid the provision of a piped
water supply in Manama. So far the work has been confined mainly to
Manama town and its environs, hut will he extended later to other parts of the
Islands.
(vi) A special feature of this year was the attention paid to the health of
the school children.
(21. Judicial.—The total number of civil suits in the Agency Courts was
8(51 as compared with 1101 in 1938. The total number of criminal cases was
339 as compared with 207 in the previous year.
22. Activities of Germans.—(i) Herr Heinrich Rcisingcr of the Import­
ing and Exporting Finn of Johann Schlinz of Bremen, importers of mother-
of-pearl, arrived here on business on the 19th January ami left on the 2Glh
January 1939.
(ii) Herr IT. J. Wallenberg of Messrs. F. ITnduotscli and Company (Iraq)
Limted who arrived in Bahrain on the 28th November 1938 left on the 291 Ii
March 3939.
In reply to a request for permission for his Firm to o'pen a branch in
Bahrain lie was informed by the Bahrain Government that there would he. no
objection provided it was managed and staffed by British or Bahrain
subjects.
23. Visits of British Notables.—(i) Air Vice-Marshal A. IT. S. Tysscn,
Air Officer Commanding. British Forces in ’Iraq arrived hero on the 17th
and left for Muscat on the 18th March 1939. lie returned to Bahrain on the
21*1 March and left the following day for ’Traq. He exchanged calls with Ilia
Highness the Shaikh of Bahrain on the 21st March and also visited the Bahrain
Petroleum Company’s Bcfinery.
(ii) Commodore A. Poland, ft. N.. Acting Commander-in-Chicf. East
Indie* Squadron, arrived in II. M. S. “ Bideford ”, and transferred to TT. M. S.
“ Norfolk ” which arrived on the 13th April and left on the lGlh April 1939.