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CHAPTER XXVI.
(0 Sanitary Matters in Maskat, 1899—1904:,
Quarantino Regulations and Agency control.
646. Two casos of plague having occurred in April 1890, one in Matrah,
one in Maskat, the Sultan raised tho
fUeret X., Nov«tnb«r 1899, No*. 40*68.
quarantino from G to 10 days counting
from arrival at Maskat and prohibited landing of deck passengers from India,
Gwadur and Jask, except servants of superior class passengers. Re also asked
Government to take over quarantino arrangements. The Agency Surgeon was
prepared to do so if he was given two extra Hospital Assistants. The required
Hospital Assistants were arranged for despatch to Maskat. The Sultan
however professed his inability to pay for the Hospital Assistants. Tho Govern-
ment of India ordered the Hospital Assistants to remain at Maskat at Govern­
ment expense. Tho Sultan on advice of French Consul refused Agenoy Surgeon’s
draft quarantino regulations and abolished quarantine at Maskat altogether.
Tho Hospital Assistants were then ordered to return to India (telegram dated
2nd September 1899),
647. In 1900 plague broke out in a Matrah suburb. The disease
was still confined to tho Khoja Fort. The
Extern*! A., July 1900, Nob. 19*46.
Bultan tried to get medical Btaff from
Bombay, but failed. Ho could pay Rs. 300 per mensem for men from India, but
ho wished that they should be under bia
Extern! A., October 1900, Kci, 21*38.
orders. The Sultan’s own men arrived and
he then withdrew his request. Plague mortality was slight and Maskat waB
declared free on 30th May. The Sultan was afterwards disposed to give the Agency
8urgeon Hr. Smith Its. 150 per mensem to superintend quarautine arrange­
ments and attend to serious cases in the Sultan's own household. The arrange­
ment was sanctioned by the Government of India (telegram dated 19th Septem­
ber 1900). 'Ihe Agency Surgeon was directed besides to give professional help
and advice to Sultan in all sanitary and medical questions, besides attending to
all casos requiring his aid in the Sultan’s household (letter No. 1S8G-E. A.,
dated 9th September 1900). The arrangment came into force from 1st
October.
648. Cholera importod probably from Karachi via Gwadur broke out
in Matrah in September 1899. There had
External A., Juno 1900, Hob. 00-68.
been epidemics in Oman in 1821 and J8G5,
both came from sea. Total attacks in Maskat and Matrah were about 1,339 ; of
which 449 in Maskat resulting in 274 deaths m Maskat and 452 in Matrah.
The chief Arab remedy for this as for other maladies was actual cautery. Tho
epidemic spread over the wholo interior: 470 persons out of 1,000 died at Surur,
nearly 1,000 out of 5,000 at Bemail and 450 or 15 per cent, at Nakhl. Total
deaths in Oman were about 12,331. This epidemic was preceded by one of
small-pox carrying off 6,090. The epidemic in Maskat was at its height at the
beginning of November and ceased at end of January 1900. At Matrah it
reached its height at the middle of October. There was a recrudescence at the
end of November, continued in December and finally declined in the middle of
January 1900. Lioutenant-Colonel Jayakar’s report dated 1st April 1900
shows that small-pox has been always prevalent, but no severe epidemic
occurred in Oman for more than 30 years. All Oman subjects were against
preventive measures, especially trading classes, during the date season.
(iij Enforcement of the Sultan of Maskat’s Quarantine Regulations against British
subjects and British protected persons, 1903.
G49. In his telegram dated 23rd June 1903, the Secretary of State desired
that Major Cox should be instructed to
IxUrul A., Aof ait 190i, Nos. 108*121.
promulgate Regulations to enforce the
Sultan's quarantine Regulations in the case of British subjects under article
VI of the Maskat Order io Council.
650. The reason of these instructions was explained in the despatch of the
Secretary of 8tate No. 17, dated 26th June 1903, which is quoted below