'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎16r] (36/470)

25
An outbreak of cholera occurred at Mahrut, but was checked by attention to
the water supply. The Medical Officer complains that a few unqualified practi
tioners are doing more harm than good and states that several cases of total blindness
have resulted from their unskilled treatment. This matter is being taken up.
Dr. Riaz Ahmad gives weekly lectures on sanitation and allied subjects at the
Ba‘qubah school, and it is hoped that these lectures will bear good fruit.
In the spring, Ba’qubah was threatened with an outbreak of typhus owing to
the arrival of destitute Kurds from beyond occupied territory. The danger was
arrested by establishing a segregation camp a few miles outside Ba‘qubah, in which
new arrivals were first disinfected and subsequently quarantined. At one time
there were as many as 2,000 inmates, but with the advance of summer, the numbers
dwindled and finally the remaining inmates, mainly orphans, were taken over by
the refugee camp on the right bank of the Diyalah.
In Shahraban and Dali ‘Abbas much valuable medical assistance was rendered
to the people by officers of the field ambulances stationed there.
Daltawah reports that in the early spring there was a considerable amount
of low fever prevalent, and that in March and April, typh.us and typhoid carried
off several people.
The influenza plague reached the division in September.
Vaccination has been carried out by women vaccinators. Two were appointed
to the Division in February 1918, one to each bank of the Diyalah. The number
of vaccinations performed during the year is : Khalis district, 500; and Khurasan
district, 517.
9. Police. —Serious crime reported consisted of three murders, in which the
alleged murderers were arrested and a few in which they evaded arrest, and of a
number of cases of highway robbery. One of the murderers, who murdered a
Saiyid who was a guest in his house, was hanged at Ba‘qubah on 29th May. In
the other cases, Ibrahim al ‘Abdikah was accused of murdering the Mukhtar of
Akrat, with whom he had a family feud, and Ahmad ibn Nahar was accused of
murdering a shepherd boy in the Jabal Hamrin. Both ‘Abdikah and Ahmad al
Nahr escaped from jail. The former took refuge in a garden at Qarnabit. A
platoon of infantry was sent to capture him, but failed to penetrate the garden.
He subsequently gathered some friends around him and shot two of the Shabanahs
sent to capture him, an^ escaped to Arab tribesmen out of the Division.
Other serious crime has been robberies on the high road to Persia and in the
neighbourhood of Dali ‘Abbas. Some of the latter robberies were traced to the
‘Azzah tribe, which was heavily fined. Cases of cattle and sheep thieving have
been frequent, and some cases of house-breaking have been detected.
Police work in the division has been done by the Shabanahs, assisted by a
Police Mudir stationed at Ba‘qubah.
(a) Jail Administration .—The jail can accommodate 50 prisoners, the diet
being as follows :—
Flour -
-
-
lbs.
1 per diem.
Rice -
-
-
i
4 >>
Dates -
-
-
1
2 ”
Ghee - -
-
-
ozs.
1
Tamarind
-
-
1
2 »
Salt -
-
-
1
4 >>
Vegetables, fresh
-
-
8 „
Meat, without bone
-
"
8 on Fridays.
Clothing in store consists of 50 suits (summer), 50 suits (winter), and 50 caps.
Health of the prisoners is good.
Terms of imprisonment ranged from 7 days’ S.I. to 18 months’ R.I.
Administrative staff consists of 1 Chaush, 6 warders and 1 B.O.R.
Admissions and discharges of convicted prisoners :—
Date.
Admissions.
Discharges.
«
Transferred to Baghdad.
Number in Prison.
24/6/18 to 31/12/18
101
67
9
25