CARTER, OF MESOPOTAMIA

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9796, 20 October 1917, Page 3

CARTER, OF MESOPOTAMIA

THE MAN WHO INSISTED AND PERSISTED.

Born at Oot-aramund, in India, in 1875. Lieutenant-Colonel R.. Markham Carter, the man who put tilings t-trtught in. Mesopotamia, was pi’omssi.onaiiy educated at St. Geon?e’;i ilo-;p-iUxl, London, whore lie is cluoJly remembered as a clover and icariess full-back m the Kugbv' football team. , • , Vfter taking his octree lie returnee* to India, and achieved high reputation ,\s a rdatfuc export. Tlun led to his being appointed specialist in preventive medicine and bacteriology under the Indian Government. and curator of tn« .mu«enm at the Grant Medical College in Bombay. -V good Gorv is told of him in connection v, iih * the latter anpninimeiil. Carter was always very keen on subn-ng fresh specimens i-> his rather -ivn-oino museum. One day lie spotted in the street in IJornbay a native ivilli a , leg ailment that was rare, and which would have meant deal!) --r -an; patation e«t an early date. „ Boejroning .he man it) him. < artei explained this, and offered t.> ha\<* the Ip«t taken ulf at mice and to bay it for five rupees al'lew, aulfor preservation in “spirits. "Certainly, Sahib.” agreed the native. An hour later the amputation had been successfully performed, «ht- man’s life was saved, and lie was the richer five rupees. Next morning. be:oro davbreak, ' drier’s lions- was beneged ; by‘ a crowd of natives sutVering from every inu.gin-.xble ailment. clamouring for an opportunity to tarn five rumci. “TWIIOID SOUP.” The story cf Colonel Curlers fearless oxpo>ure of the medical horrors in Mesopotamia, and ot how lus superiors threatened him with arrest for daring to speak iho truth is noiv tcmwi property. What 5* perhaps not so welt known is the manner in v/hicii he .ms laboured since then in order \o nivko any repetition of such horrors iin pcs6i«rforo he took over the medical ar-rang--inc-nts for- the expedition the so.diers had to drink the Tigris water. This was known indifferent 'y to the troops on lit- .-not ih “diluted dysentery” and “typhoid soup.” It merited both appellations. , . , Carter had distilled water for drinking parmr-rs pent up stream covered barges, ‘thereby saving many hunt! reus of lives. Scurvy, which vied v.ttiy enterv and tvph'id in ploying iviv-ie with' Town-e.-r.d's ci igir.ai espcajiionary fori-*-., ip- e u.'. r; t by tv.-nin;; market ;pva"isT mi a giyanne «ii“.. That is to -av. 1m nurd thirty tlios-sand a ce- -o iliiivtn - Hat Basra v.itn onion-. arid. <. ,:ier vegetables for the Use o' the troops, lie a!-., ordered lefrigwating bar#-- to lie built, and thereby insured them .a constant suooly ‘f fi's-h meat.