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
For washing their clothes the prisoners have some very convenient
arrangements. Once a week each prisoner's blankets and clothes are
passed through the disinfecting chamber and thoroughly sterilised.
Thanks to this precaution, there is not a trace of vermin to be found in
the camp.
Ten Turkish barbers are occupied in cutting the hair of prisoners and
shaving them in a well-managed barber's shop.
The latrines are clean and numerous enough. Some of them are on the
English system; the rest on the Turkish. They are disinfected daily with
carbolineum. All discharge into the sewers.
_Medical attention._--The camp medical service is staffed by Colonel
E.G. Garner and two Armenian doctors (Arsen Khoren and Léon Samuel).
Four English hospital orderlies are assisted by three Turkish orderlies.
An English dentist visits the camp at the doctor's request.
At the infirmary, which is clean and well looked after, all prisoners
not seriously ill are accommodated with beds having mattresses and steel
springs. The consulting room is well supplied with medicines. Serious
cases are sent to the hospitals set apart for prisoners of war.
From 20 to 30 men come to the infirmary daily for medical attention. All
the cases are entered in a register, which we have examined; after each
name is the complaint and the treatment prescribed.
At the time of our visit there were six lying-down cases in the
infirmary; two with tuberculosis in the first stage (prisoners captured
recently at El Arish); one with diarrhoea; one with conjunctivitis; one
with malaria; and one with a wounded leg.
Of the prisoners in camp 3 per cent. have been attacked by malaria--old
cases from the marshy districts of Turkey, such as Angora Yosgath, for
instance. Nine per cent. have been attacked by chronic bacillar
dysentery; these are treated periodically with anti-dysenteric serum.
Some cases of amibian dysentery are being treated with calomel, salol,
and emetine. Twenty per cent. were affected by ophthalmia due to their
stay in the desert before being captured. These were treated with
sulphate of zinc and protargol.
Four prisoners are suffering from trachoma of old standing. Recent cases
are ordinary ailments, bronchitis and simple diarrhoea.
As a general rule the camp prisoners look well, have a good colour and
are well nourished.
The prisoners were inoculated in Turkey against typhoid fever and
smallpox. All who no longer showed traces of vaccination were vaccinated
immediately after being captured. They were also inoculated against
cholera.
There is no typhoid fever in the camp, nor exanthematic typhus, nor any
other infectious disease.
_Work._--The prisoners have no regular work to do. No prisoner is
employed in workshops outside the camp. Even inside, except for ordinary
camp fatigue duties, and some light gardening, no labour is exacted.
During our inspection we saw the digging for a water supply through the
camp being done by Arab workmen, not by prisoners.
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