Turkish Prisoners in Egypt Part 3

Moreover, the prisoners have the right of appeal to the Commander-in-Chief and to Brig.-General Ca.s.son, who often make tours of inspection through the camps.

_Religion._--The prisoners have every opportunity for practising their religious observances. For the Mahometans a small mosque has been built, round which they spread their praying carpets. Some of them read the Koran regularly; others seem indifferent. Despite differences of race, origin, and even of religion, good-feeling prevails among the prisoners and quarrels are very few in number.

_Games and Recreations._--As regards games and recreations, the prisoners are interested only in wrestling, cards and dominoes. They have been introduced to football without success. Some have shown great skill in the manufacture of mandolines, guitars, and tambourines. All materials as well as games are provided gratis by the British Government. The camp commandant has bought the men some gramophones.

Many prisoners make articles of coloured beads--handbags, purses, necklaces, bracelets, etc.--which show considerable artistic taste. We bought one of these beautiful pieces of work as a specimen. The articles sell readily in the curiosity shops at Cairo. One section of 1,200 prisoners netted from the sales a sum of 2,500 francs in a fortnight.

_Correspondence._--Most of the prisoners receive very few letters or none. They are allowed to write in their language once a fortnight, but take very little advantage of the permission. It seems that many letters addressed to their families in Turkey come back again, as the addressee has not been found. Some Turks captured near Bagdad and transported to Burmah received their money from home, but have not received any more during the one or two months that have elapsed since they were transferred to Maadi. It is probable that the money was sent home again, or forwarded officially to the new place of internment, and this takes a long time. Several prisoners have taken advantage of their captivity to learn reading and writing with their comrades' a.s.sistance. Many men had money on them when they were taken. This money is lodged, and handed to them at demand in monthly payments. Many soldiers have received money orders from their families through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Parcels, which are seldom received, are opened in the presence of the addressee. Only knives are confiscated.

_Help for Prisoners._--Leaving out of consideration the wish expressed by some men to have a little money for buying extra tobacco and coffee, we are satisfied that there are no needy persons in the camp at Maadi.

_Mentality._--The many questions which we have asked show that there is no dissatisfaction among the prisoners with regard to the treatment they receive. Prisoners have mentioned to us chiefly their anxiety about their families, of whom they have no news. The Armenian clergy at Cairo look after their fellow-countrymen.

~4. The Egyptian Red Cross Hospital at Cairo~.

_(Visited on January 4, 1917.)_

The Egyptian Red Cross, under the presidency of His Highness Prince Fuad Pasha, being anxious to help its co-religionists, founded in March, 1915, a hospital for sick and wounded prisoners of war. This hospital is under the sole management of the Turkish Red Cross, which is in touch with the British authorities through Dr. Keatinge, Professor of the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo.

_Sanitary Staff._--All the hospital doctors are Egyptian. In addition to the doctor-in-chief, Dr. Abbas Bey Helmey, two doctors, three surgeons, and one druggist live in the hospital.

Consulting doctors come from the town when sent for to treat nose, ear and eye troubles. A Cairo specialist also places his X-ray apparatus at the service of the hospital patients. The matron is an American, and has three English nurses under her.

Thirty-two orderlies do the ward work.

_Accommodation._--The Egyptian Red Cross Hospital is installed in an old palace of Omar-Pasha Lufti, situated in a large garden, which is very shady and well kept. The dimensions of the wards a.s.sure easy circulation of air and perfect ventilation. As the building was not designed to serve its present purpose, the various staffs are somewhat scattered, but this difficulty has been got over in a most practical manner. A huge corridor gives communication between the wards, which are usually 23 feet square and 26 feet high. The large wards considerably exceed these measurements, and their tasteful decoration gives them a characteristic style. On the first floor, the rooms for the consumptive patients measure 16 by 16 by 13 feet--a very good cubical allowance for the four beds in each. The floor is of large flag-stones. Most of the rooms command the garden and a courtyard planted with trees. The building occupied by the guard is quite separate from the hospital. Electricity is used throughout the buildings.

_Bedding._--The iron bedsteads, painted with white ripolin, are separated from one another by pedestal tables. The spring mattress, stuffed mattress, sheets and pillows are in very sound condition. There is no limit set to the number of blankets allowed. The beds are covered with pretty blue and white quilts, with the Red Cross in the middle.

This quite recent innovation has a very pretty effect.

_Food._--The commissariat is arranged by contract with a head cook. The menus are drawn up by the doctors according to the diet prescribed. We tasted the day's food and found it excellent. All provisions examined by us were of good quality and carefully overlooked. The kitchen, with its well-fitted ranges and polished utensils, struck us favourably. The cooking and attendance is done by persons engaged by the chef.

Each man is provided with two bowls of tinned copper and a drinking cup.

All invalids get sweetened tea twice a day. Officers may choose tea or coffee. The following is the hospital dietary:

FOR OFFICERS.

_Breakfast_: European bread; fresh milk; 3 eggs; tea; coffee.

_Lunch_: Mutton; two dishes of vegetables, or macaroni rice; salad; rice pudding; coffee; fruit.

_Dinner_: The same as lunch, but without fruit.

ORDINARY DIET.

_Breakfast_: Arab bread; sweetened fresh milk.

_Lunch_: Arab bread; beef; rice, vegetables.

_Dinner_: Arab bread; rice soup; rice pudding.

MILK DIET.

_Breakfast_: Bread, 350 grm.; sweetened milk.

_Lunch_: Arab bread; soup; beef-tea; rice pudding.

_Dinner_: Bread, 350 grm.; sweetened milk.

FEVER DIET.

_Breakfast_: Milk, 400 grm., without sugar.

_Lunch_: 400 grm. of milk without sugar.

_Dinner_: 400 grm. of milk without sugar.

On Sunday and Thursday mutton is replaced by game. On the same two days a course of sweetened rice and macaroni is subst.i.tuted for fruit. The ration of Arab bread is 780 grammes for ordinary diet; that of European bread 450 grammes. The proportion of other articles is equally liberal.

_Clothing._--The sick men's garments are consigned to a storehouse, and are replaced by 2 nightshirts, a hospital jacket with a hood, and a pair of slippers.

_Hygiene._--Drinking water is drawn from the town main and filtered before use. There is an ample installation of lavatories with running water, baths with hot and cold douches, and Turkish baths. Turkish latrines have been fitted in the annexes of the palace. Natives do the laundry work and ironing.

_Special Quarters._--The Red Cross Hospital is provided with a s.p.a.cious, well-lighted theatre for operations, and all the necessary apparatus. In a neighbouring ward a powerful fumigating stove, built by natives after a French model, enables instruments and dressings to be completely sterilised. Since the introduction of this perfected method of sterilisation cases of infection and erysipelas have entirely disappeared from the hospital, and post-operation mortality has been reduced to barely one quarter per cent.

There is a laboratory devoted to summary a.n.a.lyses; more complete chemical or bacteriological a.n.a.lyses are carried out in the town inst.i.tution. The dispensary is well supplied, containing all the most modern medicaments.

Six wards are reserved for tuberculous cases, who have their own special nurses. Such consumptives as are not confined to bed pa.s.s most of the day in one of the palace gardens which is a.s.signed to them.

One ward is occupied by wounded officers; another by the non-commissioned officers. Two more wards are set apart for patients suffering from dysentery. Operation cases are a.s.sembled in a special chamber adjoining the theatre. Three comfortable English hospital tents erected in the garden serve as accommodation for convalescents who have to vacate their beds in the palace when an unexpected influx of sick or wounded prisoners takes place. All the wards are clean and well kept; at the head of each bed is a medical chart detailing the illness and the temperature.

_Sickness._--Since March 17, 1915, the date of its foundation, up to the day of our visit, the Egyptian Red Cross Hospital has treated 2,245 wounded or sick prisoners.

There are at the present time 149 prisoners under treatment, 8 Ottoman officers and 141 soldiers, distributed as follows:

Surgical cases (wounds): 66; among them 13 invalids and 6 who have undergone amputation and have been detained a long time in the hospital.

Internal ailments: 38; we may mention among the most serious cases of this kind noticed by us, 4 suffering from bilious haemoglobinurea, all from Bagdad; 6 from dysentery, anaemic and enfeebled patients; 4 from chronic nephritis.

Eye affections: 25.

Consumptives: 20.

Which make up the total of 149 cases.