'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎92v] (189/610)

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Scabies.
Dysentery.
Tuberculosis.
Ophthalmia.
Venereal
diseases.
Tropical
Diseases.
Plague.
Malaria.]*!
Salat.
Scabies is very prevalent among the poorer classes who,
although they wash frequently, do not change their clothes.
Sulphur ointment should be carried.
Dysentery and diarrhoea are common complaints among
Persians owing to their aptitude for gorging themselves with
fruits. A good many cases occurred among the British and
Indian garrison at Kazvin.
Tuberculosis is common despite the dry climate and is due
to overcrowding in badly ventilated houses.
Ophthalmia, i.e., granular lids, also is fairly common.
Syphilis and gonorrhoea are rife among Persians of all ages
in the towns, and it is estimated that at least 80 per cent, are
affected. Infection is carried into the country by ‘ charvadars ’
(muleteers), discharged soldiers and others, and these diseases
are fairly widespread in some villages.
The prevalence of these last 4 diseases makes medical exami
nation of all Persian servants and followers advisable before
employment.
These are more prevalent in the Caspian provinces than on the
plateau and are cholera (see above), malaria and salak.
Plague has not appeared in this area, but rats are fairly
numerous and there is always a possibility of its introduction from
Russia into Caspian ports.
Malaria in the mosquito-infested Caspian provinces is fearfully
prevalent, especially in autumn. The inhabitants are anaemic
and pot-bellied, and are evidently the subjects of chronic malaria.
The “ qishlaq ” of the Kizil Uzun and Shahrud valleys
also breed mosquitoes. On the plateau they are bred at least
as high as *5,000', chiefly in the cisterns and tanks of Persian
houses and gardens, which should be emptied or covered with
paraffin, or goldfish be introduced into them to eat the larvae,
The mosquitoes are not very numerous, but are mostly of the
Anopheles variety and produce an obstinate type of malarial
which has been fairly prevalent in summer in the British and
Indian garrison at Kazvln.
Only a small percentage of the Persian children in Kazvln
have enlarged spleens, and the civil population does not appear
to be heavily infected with malaria.
“ Salak ” is not peculiar to Persia, but occurs in many other
places, e.g., the Delhi and Baghdad boils. It is an indolent sore,
* The writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. never saw any mosquitoes in the Elburz valleys at 6.000'.