First of all I was taken to the police doctor, who spent nearly two
hours upon a minute medical examination of me. The object of this
could not have been to make sure that I was "disease-free," for I
had been seen the day before by the police doctor at Bridgetown. It
could not have been for the purpose of identification, seeing that the
authorities had obtained all the finger-prints and everything else
they required, on my first arrival. I could only conclude that it was
for the purpose of scientific research. I judged from the remarks
made by Doctor Pincher in the course of his investigations that he
was an expert anthropologist. He took samples of my hair, not only
from my head, but from various parts of my body. He took a sample of
my blood, and of the perspiration from several different glands. He
even removed a small particle of skin, without any pain. He tested
my eyesight, hearing and smell, my muscular powers, and all sorts of
reactions to various stimuli. He informed me that I should require a
pair of spectacles. I said I did not think it was worth while, as I
had never yet experienced any discomfort. He replied that that made no
difference, and proceeded to write out a prescription which he told me
to take to a certain office, where, in a few days, I should be supplied
with the necessary glasses. He then took a cast of my mouth and of my
ears, and measured me in twenty different places. Finally he gave me a
drink of what appeared to be water, but which made me unconscious for
several minutes. What he did during those few minutes I do not know,
and he did not deign to inform me. As I left him he smiled--I suppose
he thought he was being amiable--and said, "We do not have the pleasure
of seeing a Chinaman here every day."
I was then taken to the office of Chief Inspector of Foreigners Pryer.
He looked at me, asked a few trivial questions, and handed me over to a
subordinate, Lower Inspector of Foreigners Bulley. This gentleman sat
at a desk, and after noting the time and my name on a sort of tablet,
took out a yellow form, foolscap size, upon which he proceeded to make
notes of my answers to his questions. He put me through a catechism
as to what I had seen in Bridgetown. Which of the local institutions
had I visited, which of the national, which of the local and national?
What had I learnt of the industrial and social economy of Bridgetown?
What had I learnt of the cultural institutions? Had I made notes of my
daily tours, and could I produce them? (Luckily all my notes were in a
language that Inspector Bulley could not read.)
He then proceeded to discuss plans for my tours of observation in
Mecco. In the first place, how long did I propose to stay? I did not
know. What did the length of my stay depend upon? I said it would
largely depend upon my ability to stand the strain of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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