'GAZETTEER OF PERSIA. VOLUME I' [‎278v] (573/820)

34
MES—ME8
Phthisis is a very common disease in the city, as are also tuberculous
anections of glands, bones and joints. Many cases of stone in the bladder
present themselves for treatment in the British hospital, but most of them
come not from Meshed, but from the outlying villages and from the Afghan
frontier. b
Tnere is at work in Meshed a most potent agent destroying the general
Drug habits. health and physique of the people, namely, the
, abuse of opium, which in Persia is rarely used
m moderation, almost always in excess. In many cases the consumption
of the drug has been begun at the instance of the “ hakim” or a friend
to relieve pain, often of dyspepsia, and the user has fallen a victim to the
habit. In other cases no such excuse exists. The amount consumed
varies with the means and leisure of the victim, and sometimes the
quantity is enormous. The vice is widely spread among women as
well as among men, and even children are addicted to it. Where possible
the drug is smoked ; but when there is not sufficient leisure for this^
it is eaten m the form of pills. Most Persians agree in condemning the'
habit, and its prevalence constitutes a national disease of the gravest kind,
the evil effects of which are undermining the vitality of the people. It is
C x 1 ?T PU , ted , tha ^ P rob _ a bly more than one-third of the total fixed population
of Meshed is tariaqi” namely, “addicted to the opium habit.”
mong the richer classes spirit-drinking is also very prevalent. Usually
it is the Russian vodka ” which is consumed, but when this is not at
hand, a native spirit, known simply as “araq,' ’ is used instead. Brandy
is also highly prized; during a time of cholera scare a bottle of brandy
will command a fabulous price.
The mullds, the spiritual guides and teachers of the people, are often
the worst offenders in the matter of opium and spirit co isumption.
Hospitals and dispensaries. I here are four public charitable dispensaries
in Meshed
1. the British Consulate-General dispensary;
2- the Russian Consulate-General dispensary ;
3. the Russian Bank dispensary; and
4. the Shrine Dispensary.
Of these four, only the British and the Shrine dispensaries have any
suitable accommodation for in-patients, and these two are generally known
clS II OSpiLcllS.
There are four leading druggists’ shops which undertake the dispensing
of prescriptions, but as the dispensers understand only the native physi
cians methods of prescribing, they are not of much use to European
doctors. r
A large number of small dealers also keep European drugs, of which they
know the names, and have some vague idea of the uses to which they are
genera, y put > on this slender basis they boldly undertake to diagnose
and treat with medicine the ailments of those who are ignorant enough to
app y to them. ®
T i Th f Shiane . hos P ltal has a »taff of about five or six native physicians.
The hospital is nearly always full, and some kinds of surgical operations