T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 246
T. E. Lawrence Correspondence
Page 246
Cashed ". org..." LH 9/13/42
To: Dr. A.G. Gibson, 27, Banbury Rd., Oxford:
he thinks about 1911.
Aleppo,
June 28.
Dear Dr. Gibson,
Excuse the apparent fluency of my handwriting
above, but the pen-nib was working crudely, and I
flourished it to put an end to its folly.
This place is having a cholera epidemic, and
matters will probably get pretty bad with 1 of
the very hot weather at the end of this month. There are
now about 40 deaths a day, and nobody is doing anything.
I fear that in time we may have cases in our village,
since there is much coming and going via over the
70 miles in between, owing to the making of the Bagdad
Railway. There are about 200 people in the village,
and it has a lovely spring used for all drinking and
washing, but a spring with a flow of about 200 gallons
a minute : a very small, but very strong flowing stream.
Can you tell me, very shortly, more or less what
to do ? I mean in the way of medicines? I have corrosive ...
anything in that, but much else. If there is anything
very necessary besides, could you be good enough to send
a little out ? You are not trespassing on the domain
of any other medical man: you see I am local doctor. I
dare not like writing and telling my people, because they
will only (or Mother will only) go wild with alarm: but
my older brother (Bob) is quite sensible will pay for
what is wanted : there comes parcel-post to Aleppo the
what is wanted: my address: my brother
British Consul there, will probably here about
knows. If the trouble comes I will send much, as the trying
100 cases I suppose: it is: "and that matters." The people here in Aleppo
to isolate their of their cases, so one is apt
are losing about 90 to 95% very little
to be much worse than that. It seems, however,
be attacked more than one person in a
contagious! Seldom affect more than a
family.
The town of Biredik is about 20 miles up the
Euphrates, which flows at 5 miles an hour with a stream of
400 yards wide and 15 feet deep. Will this water-supply
be tolerably safe ?
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