PACIFIC MEDICAL JOURNAL. VOL. XXXVII. MARCH, 1894. No. 3. Original Articles. A LETTER FROM BAGDAD. (Read before the San Francisco County Medical Society by U. S. CONSULAR MANSION, BAGDAD, TURKEY IN ASIA, my Highly flattered by the attention with which you listened to former letter and the vote of thanks, which I assure you it was pleasing to receive, I will inflict on you another of as many ingredients as an old-fashioned shotgun prescription. I. HOW TO PROMOTE CHOLERA AND OTHER EPIDEMICS. This art can be studied to advantage here under tuition of the Turkish health authorities, who, during the prevalence of any epidemic, receive double pay, and therefore are on friendly terms with comma bacilli and other pathogenic bacteria. When cholera broke out in lower Mesopotamia last May, a military cordon was at once established across the country from the Persian frontier to the Euphrates, a hundred miles or so below Bagdad, and the S S. Mejidieh, which was coming up with over a thousand passengers on board-among them several hundred pious Jewish pilgrims returning from Ezra's tomb-was turned back and kept in quarantine three months. The passengers who had money-it does not take much-slipped through the cordon and came to Bagdad; those who were destitute had to remain without food, except what charity provided, and without shelter, unless a few straw mats can be so termed. No attempt at sanitation was made at the quarantine station. Fortunately, cholera reached Bagdad August 24, or the poor travelers would have had to remain in quarantine until released by death from VOL XXXVII-9. old age or other causes. Strange to say, not one of them took cholera or died, and the joy with which they learned that cholera was in Bagdad resounded from river to river in loud and shrill "lu-lu-lu-lu-lu" from a thousand throats. The cordon was now moved above Bagdad, and soldiers and comma bacilli have been playing dam (checkers) ever since, the whole moving steadily up stream towards Khurdistan. When the disease first broke out here vigorous measures were at once instituted to stamp it out; at least the sale of watermelons was forbidden, and Mohammedans were granted permission to drink spirits. One morning some twenty coofas loaded with watermelons were boarded by soldiers who began to pitch the melons in the river. Immediately more than a thousand men, boys and some women, stripped and swam out and gathered in "the forbidden fruit," and then went ashore and gorged themselvesa grand free Board of Health banquet. My gardener, Solomon, an African, went out in a boat which he loaded full, and then lived on watermelons for several days; it did not seem to hurt him. But one day he forgot the precept of the Prophet (on whom be peace) and drank what the Koran forbids, but some of its modern expounders now permitted. That evening he performed an African war dance for the edification of my little son, and then went home to dream sweet dreams. He awoke with a throat as parched as a rainless desert which the overflow of the rivers does not reach, went down to the river and drank deep of its much-defiled water; in two hours he was dead. How many died here no one knows-except Allah, The greatest number of fatal cases reported in one day was 57, and in one week 336; but this was wholly unreliable. Surreptitious burials in the cellars and elsewhere were common; and then the true facts as known were also suppressed by the authorities. Christians and Jews fled in fear, but the Mohammedans remained "resigned to the will of God," which is really the essence of their religion. As an old, green, slimy, filthy canal surrounding a fort above here is being filled, the accumulated filth of centuries is coming down the river. To see it is enough to give one hydrophobia. I have protested against this state of affairs to the health officer, but he says he can do nothing. I have represented to the Wali (governor), whom I am proud to call my personal friend, and who, for his efficient administra tion of public affairs or some other reason has been recently decorated with the Grand Cordon Osmanieh—I say, I have represented to him how Bagdad might have pure water by following the example of Calcutta, to-wit: Establishing pumping works and filtering beds five or six miles above the city, and conducting the water in pipes to the houses; and my friend, the governor, bows, smiles and says: "Inshallah, Allahu Akbar” (if God will, God is great). Now if I were governor of Bagdad, I should place sufficient funds at the disposal of the Health Board, pay them well as long as they kept the city healthy and clean; but hang them at once if an epidemic broke out. II. MODERN THERAPEUTICS. I have been reading in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and in other American medical periodicals, that various animal extracts, such as "Cardine," "Cerebrine," etc., have been introduced by Dr. Hammond. No doubt the great American fakir has gotten the idea, without acknowledging it, from the Arabian fakirs or dervishes who prescribe children's hearts as a diet for saints suffering with imaginary heart disease. One great saint here, whom, as well as whose wives, I number among my patients, and whom some day I am going to dose with tartar emetic and then refuse to cure him, unless he gives me his snuff box, which must be worth some $40,000. This saintly hog (or hoggish saint) is reputed to kidnap children and feed on their hearts. Sheep's testicles are eaten here for impotence, sterility, etc.; but a Greek doctor is now administering the regular "spermine," and reports wonderful cures. The Arabs are great eaters, and like the Esquimaux, they want their food to float in fat. An Arab of the desert will eat a sheep with rice, bread and milk at one sitting; but again he can subsist on bread and dates only. The following table represents the monthly mean temperature on the river for ten years: January 53.8, February 56.8, March 63.1, April 71.5, May 82.2, June 89.8, July 94.1, August 92.7, September 88.8, October 79.8, November 66.3, December 56.3; annual mean 74.6°, highest in ten years 118°, lowest 31°; rainfall 6 or 7 inches between November and April. Last summer was exceptionally hot. From the middle of July till the middle of August it was seldom less than 115° in my office, the coolest place in the city during the day. Up town among the wool warehouses, where I had to go and disinfect wool, it went up to 130°; in the dispensary where I see the indigent sick it was 122°. One night in July I thought the gates of hell had been left open. Blasts of invisible flame shot from all quarters, and the mercury went up to 115° at 2:30 ▲. M., as taken on board the British man-of-war here; in my office it was 104°, but on my roof I think it might have been 115°. The sky is usually cloudless in summer and the stars brighter, nearer (apparently), and more numerous than anywhere on earth. Well can I understand old father Abraham's astonishment, when it was announced to him that his seed should be as numerous as the stars. IV. MORALS. In my last I said there were no saloons or brothels here. I have since learned that some exist, but no one is willing to acknowledge he knows where. Sodomy is common and no concealment of it is attempted. This is among the Turks chiefly; but a wealthy German sodomite has a palatial residence here, and carries on in grand style. He is highly educated, entertains grandly, and is courted by European and Turkish society. He has called on me twice, but I have not returned the call. The other foreign consuls, however, are on very intimate terms with him. He is a great musician (really great), and he asked to be introduced to my wife, but I declined the honor. He is also a most wonderful linguist. Curiously enough the expression of his face is that of an idiot. The town Arab is somewhat degraded, but the morals of the desert are said to be ideally perfect. Fornication is there punished with death, so I have been told; but going down the river by steamer I saw signs that the Arabs along the river bank are being gradually demoralized. I have beaten at least two hundred Arabs and two Turkish soldiers this summer for bathing before my windows absolutely naked, and defecating in my garden, and even on my door steps. One of the Turkish soldiers whom I hammered last week, went into the adjoining mosque, and from the chief mullah obtained a written declaration that I had assaulted him without cause. With this he went around and tried to get up a mob. I had captured his coat and wrote to the commander-in-chief of the army that it could be had on application. Result: Soldier ar rested, but mob threatening me and throwing human excrement in through my windows. It was made a religious question, and the lives of the whole Christian population were in danger for a day or two, till the excitement subsided. My servants were told that I would be assassinated as soon as I should appear on the street. The governor has sent a guard for my house; but I go out alone as before. v. A PILGRIMAGE. On my way back from Bassorah last month I made a pilgrimage to the tomb of Solomon Pak (Mahommed's barber and a very saintly man), whom all good Mussulmans, but especially barbers and surgeons, venerate. At the same time I also inspected the ruins of Ctesiphon, the greatest arch in the world. VI. CURIOUS PRACTICES. Like with most Asiatics, a saw here cuts when you draw it to you, and gimblets turn the opposite way to European gimblets. But in this there is common sense. Are not the flexor muscles stronger than the extensors, and pronators stronger than supinators? The most curious sight is men sawing bricks. Bricks are made square, about fourteen inches each side, and about two inches thick, and before being used for building purposes they are sawed in three pieces. This is certainly a good way to give people employment. While on the subject of epidemics I forgot to say that it is reported here that of the 200,000 pilgrims that went to Mecca this year 75,000 died of cholera. On one day there were probably slaughtered, as sacrifice, not less than 100,000 sheep. In Bagdad alone were slaughtered in one day at least 20,000 sheep. VII. CRIMES. Murders, which are usually rare here, have this summer been common-a regular epidemic. Robberies were common during the cholera epidemic. There has been one suicide here in sixteen years, and he was a foreigner. This shows the Bagdadi is fond of life. Remember there are 200,000 inhabitants, of whom 50,000 are Jews, 5,000 Christians, (Chaldeans, Syrians, Armenians, Greeks, Nestorians, and (300) Roman Catholics-also perhaps a dozen Protestants). Temperature in my office now at 4 P. M, Nov. 1, as I am writ |