Turkish Prisoners in Egypt: A Report by the Delegates of the International Committee of the Red CrossInternational Committee of the Red Cross
History
Turkish Prisoners in Egypt: A Report by the Delegates of the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
World War, 1914-1918 -- Prisoners and prisons, British
_Medical Care and Illnesses._--The Head Physician, Captain Scrimgeour,
comes to the camp every day; a Greek doctor also visits it four times a
week at 9 o'clock in the morning. These two doctors both speak Turkish
and Arabic fluently. Three trained nurses and an English midwife take
charge of the infirmary. As Moslems usually have very good teeth, the
services of a dentist are not often needed.
The infirmary is very commodious. It consists of a consulting-room, with
a couch for examinations; a surgery, and a sick ward.
In the infirmary register the name, the disease, the treatment and the
course of the illness are all duly noted.
When the internment camp was opened a hundred prisoners applied for
treatment daily; many had suffered great privations previous to their
capture. At the present time only 5 or 10 patients take advantage of the
doctor's visit; and these are mild cases, chiefly bronchitis,
constipation, diarrhoea, and eye affections among women and children,
and some cases of heart affections and chronic bronchitis among the old
people.
There is neither malaria, dysentery nor typhus in the camp, and no
epidemic malady. An early case of tuberculosis, without Koch's bacillus
in the sputa, was cured.
On the day of our visit to the infirmary we found 5 patients in bed or
crouched in the oriental manner upon their bedsteads; 1 suffering from
senile paralysis, 2 from bronchitis, 1 from inflammation of the ears,
and 1 from general debility.
_Maternity._--Confinements not being uncommon, it was necessary to
establish a maternity ward. There were 5 births during the last three
months of 1915. Two more occurred upon the day we inspected the camp,
mothers and infants doing well.
_Deaths._--Up to that time there had only been one death at the Citadel
Camp, that of a baby prematurely born, which died from debility at the
age of 18 days.
_Education._--A school has been started in the camp, and all boys as
well as girls up to 12 years old are obliged to attend it. A mistress
teaches them Turkish and Arabic, and also gives them half an hour's
instruction in English daily.
_Religious Services._--The imaum came once to hold a Mahometan service,
but the interned women expressed no desire that he should repeat his
visit. However, an old woman, chosen from among them, reads the Koran
aloud upon feast days.
_Intellectual Diversions._--The women seem to have no needs or desires
on this score. They pass their days in talking and smoking.
The camp has been presented with a gramophone.
_Work._--This is absolutely voluntary. The head nurse has organised a
little dressmaking class, the wife of a former president, Sir B.
McMahon, having given her £10 with which to buy the necessary materials.
The results will be divided equally among those who did the work, but as
most of the women have plenty of money they are not energetic over it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account