'Adminisistration [Administration] Reports 1931-1935' [‎42r] (83/416)

XIV. —M edical.
}■ Health of the Town.—(a) Various factors have had an adverse effect on
e hea of the inhabitants during the year under review. Trade depression
failure of the Pearl trade, etc., denuded the town of a great deal of money
thereby causing distress, insufficiency of food and the necessaries of life and other
means to combat illnesses Many persons who would otherwise have been well
atng Infants Xed tost. ^ ^ Were
nnrl f? Tu j )ercillo ® ls ’ tlle usual ^ toll taker ” had a greater sway than previously
and there does not seem to be any real hope of combating this scourge for many
reasons, chief of which are the habits, customs and mode of living of the poor
any attempts to change which would be at present futile. 1 ’
(c) Infantile diseases.—Infants and small children suffer very much and
during the year under review, 1931, were even deprived of the slender chances
they possessed owing to lack of food and clothing. Some died of sheer want
among the very poor, while disease carried off others more rapidly than would nor-
mally be the case. Infant welfare and Hygiene are an almost closed book to the
mothers. The vast majority are ignorant and do not seem to care nor interest
themselves in matters concerning the welfare of their children.
. W Com mon diseases were those of the eyes, ears, bowels and skin and here
agam there is no aimumtion m the numbers or spread of these diseases owing to
the absolute lack of personal hygiene and manner of living, combined with extreme
casualness in the treatment of these complaints.
2. Samtation.—The Municipahty have been so anxious to show results in
own improvements such as road widening and repairing, etc., that their efforts
in other directions have not been so good as might have been expected. Greater
energy m hygiene matters might have been tried.
P rev]OU !7 ears > tllls was brought by dhows in wooden tanks
om the bhatt al Arab near Fao, and was distributed to the houses by means of
we^fcond” tmS ’ tl16 C ° St Varying With the and demalld aad
4. Epidemics. —None.
(Jharitable Dispensary. — Total number
treated during the year—
Men
f • r f
,. 3,601
Women
. * * • f
.. 4,167
Male children
.. 2,500
Female children
f . 2,345
Total
... 12,613
q. Tbe Dispensary is now accommodated in 3 very nice rooms, with a couple of
Store rooms. A separate dressing room and separate waiting rooms ftffmen
and women are improvements which make for better attention 'and a more
cheeiful atmosphere, than has been the case in the past.
XV. The American Mission.
n 27 ^ Februar y American Colony were honoured bv the visit nf th«
graph^I^ 68 C ° nSUl m Baghdad - He 8ta X ed with them for ^ree days (see para-
(6) On 25th July The Reverend J. Van Ess accompanied by Miss Each q el
Jackson arrived from Basrah. They returned on 31st July. 7 ‘ ‘ '
(c) On 11th September Dr. Miss Barney returned from leave in Europe.
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