The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-27
Neglect of Sanitary Precautions

Alexandria (Juy 81 of London Times.
Lest should seem to make against the
government the serious charge of negligence
of sanitary precautions, unsupported By evil
dence, l will relate a few facts Travellers
some weeks ago reported that the stencil OF
Damietta was observable ten miles away.
The English residents at Mansourah months
ago stated that the passage of dead animals
down the river, five or six at a time, was
evident to both eyes and nose For months
back the newspapers have drawn attention to
the presence of carcasses i'll the water. To
keep up the supply of water in the Alexan-
dra canal, the government, with view to
save the expense of pumping extra water
from the river, closed the locks of the
irrigatng canals for five days of the
week, thus running the crops and compell-
ing the natives to drink staguant water, but
enabling some of the officials to earn back
sheesh for Illicit supplies of water. The
drainage of Alexandria is VIGOROUSLY defec-
tive, owing to the fact of the low level of the
central square not allo wing a sufficient flow
to the sea- The European roads committee
offered SIX months ago, at their own expense,
to raise the square and reform the entire
system of drainage. The government never
vouchsafed reply.
So much for the past. New as to the eff
fects of the present spasmodic energy exhib-
tied by the government. native doctor re-
peats that three days ago dead animals were
boating down the Nile in large numbers
through Damietta, exhaling horrible odors.
Until few days ago Damietta was without
doctors, medicines or disinfectants. Prior
to putting a Gordon round Dametta-the
utility of which measure is at any time ques-
tionable-ten thousand people, attending the
fair, were allowed to dispense throughout
the interior. The Gordon itself could be
evaded by backsheesh. The well-known
physician, DR.. Mackie, applied through the
consulate to the principal medical officer
for information of the simplest
description and received a reply that the
officer had no information. Morice Bey, who
had been instructed to prevent people
landing from Damietts along eighty miles of
coast. suggested the guarding of the Damietta
bar-which is a few yards WIDEN order to
prevent any exit from the town; but the de-
mand was refused. Carts may now be seen
going through Alexandria, carrying away
garbage by order of the sanitary authorities,
but they are surrounded by no guards and
the natives follow them, abstracting and eat
ing their contents. The inhabitants of the
supposed infected quarter are removed into
quarantine by carriages which next day ply
for hire l have surely given enough facts
to establish the charge of negligence against
the government.
The position of the inhabitants of Damietta
deserves consideration. Thirty thousand
souls are there locked up, with but the posi-
bility of escape, and they are dying by hun
dreds, with only some half-dozen inexperi-
enced native doctors at hand. The whole
population are employed in saving them
selves without apparently thought of this
unhappy town. England should insist upon
an efficient supply of doctors and medicines
being sent. The inhabitants should be re-
moved and camped out in the desert and
kept within a strict Gordon until the town
has been purified, if necessary by burning
the infected houses.