Page 293 - Bahrain Gov Annual Reports (IV)_Neat

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quantities of strings of pearls. In Saudi Arabia pearls appear to be more popular among women
than golden ornaments which were previously used, though in Bahrain, the centre of the diving
industry, they arc little worn.
The great heat during the Summer, which caused the sea to be hotter than has ever been known
before, affected the pullers who work on deck all day but the divers were able to get down to the
deeper, cooler depths.
A feature of the season was the influx of large numbers of diving boats from the Trucial Coast,
they were attracted to the Bahrain banks because two boats which came last year returned
with unusually good catches. The Trucial Coast boats arc said to have numbered over 200, most of
them carrying small crews. Bahrain nakhudas described, rather enviously, how hard the Omanis
worked, diving continuously from dawn till dusk, their methods differed in many respects from the
Bahrain divers. All the crew dived and pulled in turn and one or two men worked at opening the
shells throughout the day. In the Bahrain boats half the men are divers and the other half are
pullers. They never change their duties. The shells are collected during the day and opened by all
the crew in the early morning and everybody sees what pearls have been found. The Trucial Coast
nakhudas worked their men hard and got good results. None of them sold their pearls in Bahrain
as they were bound to take them back to their land merchants in their home ports, so the Bahrain
pearl market gained no advantage, they did however buy their supplies in Bahrain. A few of the
Trucial Coast boats ventured as far as the Kuwait banks but after a short time there they returned to
Bahrain.
It is estimated that about half of the crews of the Bahrain boats were Omanis from the Trucial
Coast. Bahrain Arabs now have so much well paid employment on land that every year fewer of them
go out to the pearl banks, if they arc in debt to nakhudas they prefer to pay their instalments rather
than go diving. When the present generation of divers has passed away, and not many of them are
young men, there will be few men from Bahrain to carry on the work. Some of the nakhudas are
already thinking that a day must coinc when mechanical apparatus will have to be used owing to the
dearth of divers.

PUBLIC HEALTH
(Report by Dr. R. H. B. Snow, State Medical Officer.)

Introduction.—I suppose no one could ask for better patients than Arabs. Reasonable,
philosophic and quietly humorous they arc patient in their sickness. Their good manners place
them as a race apart. They will always give an arduous course of treatment a fair trial and their
fortitude is a great asset in grave illness. Time and again they turn up for further treatment of the
same disease. One man we have kept under observation for eight years. Trucial Coast and Omani
Arabs who report with immature cataracts arc asked to come again with a certain card and it is surpris­
ing how many return on the date prescribed.
Medicine is an art which penetrates to the deepest recesses of every human being. It is not
enough to hand out drugs mechanically. The art is in the approach. A grateful patient will some­
times recall his cure but kindliness, consideration and tenderness will remain in their minds when all
else has been forgotten. These attributes for inspiring confidence arc never failing especially in
children who respond so rapidly after a few days in hospital. A quick awareness of the nature of the
situation, insight, and the power to listen and to make time for it arc qualities which reap big rewards.
And perhaps the most difficult of all is to develop a readiness to respond to a request or complaint at
any time, any moment.
A human being is a most important person. When ill he is the most important person to himself
in the world. Until the distresses of all mankind have entered into a doctor's life he will
never appreciate the whole nature of man nor achieve a whole cure.