Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian RebelsArbuthnot, George
History
Herzegovina; Or, Omer Pacha and the Christian Rebels
Arbuthnot, George
Hercegovina (Bosnia and Hercegovina) -- History; Serbia
About four hours from Bieliki we were met by Dervisch Pacha. Here,
again, we found more Bashi Bazouks, both horse and foot, as well as a
battalion of chasseurs of the army of Constantinople. On arriving in
camp, I was told off to share the tent of a Colonel-Doctor, by name Rali
Bey, who received me most hospitably. He is a young Greek, who has
served about eight years, having entered as a Major-Doctor. (Be not
horrified, O Surgeon-Major, at so unheard-of a proceeding! Doubtless
your privileges are far greater than his, save that you have the Major
as an appendage in place of a prefix.) The aforesaid Rali Bey was far
the best specimen of a Turkish military doctor whom I ever met. As a
rule, they are not an attractive set. Almost invariably
Constantinopolitans, they jabber execrable French fluently enough, and
affect European manners in a way which is truly disgusting: add to this
a natural disregard of cleanliness, and an obtrusive familiarity, and
nothing more is wanted to complete the picture. Of their professional
capacity I am unable to speak, never, I am thankful to say, having been
compelled to intrust my constitution to their hands; but, judging from
the fact that, on leaving college, they dispense with books, I felt
inclined to attribute the singularly small amount of sickness in camp
more to fortuitous circumstances than to the _ars medendi_, as practised
by these ingenuous young men.
The sanitary state of the army at that time contrasted very favourably
with its condition some two months later in the year. At the first
period to which I allude there were only seventy men actually in
hospital, the whole force at Bieliki amounting to 8,047 regulars and
2,900 Bashi Bazouks. Of the twelve battalions of regular infantry which
composed the force five were armed with rifles, and were termed
chasseurs in consequence. At the same time, it is fair to add that
special attention has been paid to this arm, and the naturally keen eye
of the Turkish soldiers renders their education a matter of comparative
facility.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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