An interned Turkish civilian, Abrahim Assan, by calling an employee in a Constantinople factory, who speaks French and English perfectly, serves as orderly-interpreter.
An English Red Cross orderly assists the doctor. An Austrian dentist, formerly in business at Cairo, gives dental attention to the prisoners; he has a complete outfit of instruments.
The infirmary is well housed in a stone building. It contains a consulting-room, supplied with a full-flushed lavatory basin; a sick ward with 6 iron beds, mattress and coverings ad libitum; an isolation ward, and a dispensary.
Only slight cases are treated at the infirmary; serious cases are removed to Hospital No. 21 at Alexandria, situated within 10 minutes of the camp, a large modern hospital overlooking the sea.
On the day of our inspection there were in the infirmary 1 prisoner ill with bronchitis; at the hospital 1 tuberculous case and 1 with a wounded elbow.
The sanitary state of the camp has always been excellent. Apart from two relapse cases of dysentery in 1916, there has been neither trachoma, typhoid, typhus, malaria, nor any other infectious disease. This is explained by the fact that the interned civilians were not in bad health before their captivity, as was the case with soldiers who had sojourned in the desert, whom we saw in the other Egyptian camps.
There had been no deaths in the camp or at the hospital in Alexandria. The orderly, Abrahim Hassan, told us of his own accord that the sick receive the most assiduous attention, and have nothing but praise for the resident physician.
Religion and Amusements.—The prisoners offer their prayers daily. A mosque will be built for them in the new camp at Sidi Bishr.
Catholics are looked after by several Austrian priests, who used to manage Catholic schools in Upper Egypt.
For the Germans and Austrians there is a good circulating library, containing English, French and German books.