'Reports of administration for 1918 of divisions and districts of the occupied territories in Mesopotamia. Volume I' [‎137v] (279/470)

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and the total in the whole municipal area at 49,194. The decrease is in part due
to the exodus to Baghdad which followed the removal of travel restrictions in
November.
(3) Establishment of Health Department .—The post of Health Officer, Basrah
and ‘Ashar, is a whole-time appointment, the duties of which include those of the
Medical Officer of Health of an English town, with the addition of the collection
and disposal of refuse. The Health Officer is assisted by a second Medical Officer,
Capt. H. M. Jackson filling the post until he was invalided to India in July;
Capt. J. W. Patterson succeeded him as assistant M.O.H. on 2nd July and did
valuable work in that capacity and as deputy during the Health Officer s absence on
leave.' Capt. Patterson, unfortunately, contracted influenza on 8th October and was
invalided to India on 24th November, and since October the Health Officer has been
without a medical assistant.
(4) The Health Officer was at first assisted in the technical sanitary work by three
N.C.O.s of No. 99 Sanitary Section (formerly in civil sanitary employ in England),
and such work suffered in the second half of the year through the invaliding to
India of one of these N.C.O.s in June and the procedure on leave to England
of a second in October.
(5) The conservancy arrangements continue to be supervised in Basrah by an
Indian Inspector, Mr. P. B. Dalvi. In ‘Ashar they were in the hands of Sgt. A. J.
Horne, R.A.M.C., until 6th October, when the department suffered a severe loss
by the death of this N.C.O., who had rendered good service in the capacity of
Conservancy Superintendent for a period of three years. Sgt. Horne was
succeeded by another British rank who had been working in the Department since
February 1917.
(6) The remainder of the sanctioned staff, 478 in all, and the transport are as
follows ; it may be noted, however, that although the number sanctioned exceeds
last year’s figures on account of new work in the refugee camps and outlying
villages, the actual number of employees on 31st December w T as only 338, as against
346 in the previous year :—
‘Ashar with Basrah with
Refugee outlying
Camps. Villages.
Superior Staff —
Clerical -
Sanitary inspectors
Women health visitors -
Sanitary orderlies (B.O.R.Rs.)
For Collection of Refuse —
(i) Arab —
Supt. of sweepers
Area jamadars -
Road sweepers -
Carters - - - -
Donkey boys
Cesspit jamadar
Cesspit coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory. - - -
(ii) Indian —
Sweeper drivers -
For Destruction of Refuse —
Incinerator men -
Slaughter-house coolies A term used to describe labourers from a number of Asian countries, now considered derogatory.
For Latrines and Incinerators —
(i) Arab —
Jamadar -
Latrine sweepers -
(i) Indian —
Latrine sweepers -
1
3
1
5
2
3
2
2
1
10
56
6
38
1
8
1
8
50
6
44
1
9
3
7
3
8
5
— 1
42 33
17 8